Water quality along the Alagoas State Coast, Northeast Brazil: advocacy for the coastal management

Poorly planned urban development and the associated lack of sanitation infrastructure are the main causes of ecosystem altera- tion and contamination of Alagoas coastal zone. As these ecosystems are significantly linked with human use, such as recrea- tion and tourism, the impacts on human health cannot be obviated. The present study evaluates the water quality of the Alagoas coastal zone analyzing five years of monitoring data obtained from the state Environment Office. Results suggest a worsening of the water quality between the years 2007-2011. Low levels of sanitation, especially sewage collection and treat- ment, the lack of an effective land planning, environmental development of agribusiness activities and low perceptions of sustainability appear to be the main factors impacting the water quality of the Alagoas state coast. On the other hand, invest- ment in sanitation has boosted investor confidence and driven development, to the extent that sanitation infrastructure capaci- ties have been exceeded and raises potential water quality issues.