Trophic state of Calderas Lake, San Vicente Pacaya and San Francisco de Sales, Escuintla, Guatemala; based on Total Nitrogen, according to the Nürnberg and Sweden criteria.

Abstract

This article pretends to raise awareness of the trophic state of the lagoon of Calderas, according to the analysis and results obtained in a 2011 analysis. These analysis was carried out with respect to the level of Total Nitrogen that is dissolved in water, and in accordance with the Nürnberg and Sweden criteria. The trophic state of the Lagoon is Oligotrophic. According to the Nürnberg and Sweden criteria to classify a body of water as oligotrophic, the provided limit, with respect to total nitrogen, must be less than 0.35mg/L and 0.40mg/L respectively. After completing all the correspondent analyses, the total nitrogen level obtained in the laboratory was 0.33 mg/L, which reveals a low concentration of nutrients. Consequently, the water in the lagoon could be reutilized if treated properly, as the level of total Nitrogen is lower than that stablished in the Governmental Agreement 236-2006 “Regulation for Discharge and Reuse of Wastewater and Sewage Disposition,” that states that the permissible water reuse maximum limit for total nitrogen is 10 mg/L