Monitoring of fecal indicator bacteria in two Salvadoran estuaries

Abstract

Thermotolerant coliform and enterococci levels in surface water as well as physicochemical parameters were measured monthly at estuaries Barra de Santiago and Barra Salada from October 2020 to September 2021. Most of results show that rainfall didn't associate to high bacteriological abundances in both aquatic ecosystems, but for enterococci at Barra Salada where correlation index was high (r (8) = .96, p < .01). Ocean inputs and river discharges seem to influence surface water parameters. No strong relationships were found amongst bacteriological densities and dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, temperature.