Researchers profile pollutants present in an important river basin in São Paulo state, Brazil

The Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundiaí (PCJ) River Basin comprises 76 municipalities in São Paulo state, Brazil, with more than 5.8 million inhabitants and a drainage area of more than 14,000 square kilometers. These three rivers and their tributaries are essential sources of drinking water, energy, irrigation for agriculture, and water for industrial processes. Demand is very high, and the resulting water shortage is exacerbated by the climate crisis. However, this is not the only problem or the worst: the many rivers, brooks, and creeks in the basin are severely contaminated by agricultural, industrial, and domestic effluents. Visible evidence of this pollution is frequently highlighted by the media, but until now, there have been no in-depth scientific studies that identify the main contaminated areas, the specific contaminants and mixtures of contaminants, with their concentrations, occurrences, and ...