Methodology for the proper management of diffuse pollution - BECA FULBRIGHT U.S. SPECIALIST 2022 - Dra. Gitau

Diffuse sources has been identified as the primary source for pollutants in water bodies. Different approaches has been conducted to evaluate and identify effective ways to estimate the pollutants load and management practices conductive to reduce the amount of contaminant reaching surface water and ground water. In Colombia, a study to close the knowledge gap regarding diffuse sources was carried out in the Ranchería River using a systematic methodology to determine the Water Quality Objectives - OCA through the QUAL2KW mathematical model. Unfortunately, the results obtained from this study has some weaknesses because some of the model variables do not coincide with the parameters required by the Colombian standards for the intended uses, it assumes a plug-flow type system that disregards dispersion, assumes a Lagrangian point of view, and does not involve the export coefficient (Xu H. et al., 2018; Perez et al. al., 2018). Even with these gaps, these studies focus on the reduction of the diffuse loads without specifying where the management strategy should be directed and it does not consider a reduction of livestock density, change of fertilizers, use of cleaner technologies, development of regulations, or even economic incentives. In response to the aforementioned problem, the purpose of this study is to indicate which methodologies should be adopted as management strategies for non-point sources for prevention and pollution control for rivers.