It was at the end of February 2022 that Laguna Avendaño, in the commune of Quillón, was closed to the public due to the high pH levels present in the water, which far exceeded normal figures.
The first reports indicated that several tourists presented dermatitis, an allergy that causes the skin to dry, itch and become inflamed, causing discomfort in people, as well as rosacea. The health authority of the time issued the alert and communicated the temporary closure, while the studies were carried out.
The coordinated work between the municipality and the Seremi de Salud led to the reopening of the spa seven months later, in September of that year, thus beginning the summer season in the tourist commune of Ñuble.
But this opening lasted only six months, because in March of this year it was closed again, this time for the same reason: High pH levels that caused allergies in bathers. It was even demonstrated at that time that the fecal concentration in the lagoon is 92 times higher than that established in the Chilean standard, after the analysis carried out after its first closure, carrying out constant monitoring of the body of water.
The Seremi de Medio Ambiente also confirmed that there are pipes that discharge external water into the lagoon, causing its contamination. The seremi of the portfolio in Ñuble, Mario Rivas, confirmed the situation and added that “it has been detected that there are pipelines that flow directly into the water, which has caused an alteration in the pH and obviously its contamination.”
All the information is provided by the Seremi de Salud and the Municipality of Quillón, who are working to resolve the problem and promptly open one of the places with the greatest tourist attraction in Ñuble.
In parallel, there are different actors who have worked to identify what contaminants exist in the water bodies of Ñuble, including the Avendaño Lagoon. Research of this type seeks to find contaminating agents and provide various solutions to disinfect water.
One of the most relevant studies being carried out is one carried out by the University of Concepción, through its Faculty of Biological Sciences. This seeks to detect antibiotic resistance genes in these spaces, identifying patterns of spread and searching for alternatives to enhance treatments against infections that afflict people. This brought to a local reality, without having to analyze samples from an entire city. Just with the simple study of a body of water, such as the lagoon in Quillón.
There are two leading research groups in the field that are carrying out the innovative proposal, composed of the Antibacterial Agents Research Laboratory (LIAA), made up of Dr. Andrés Opazo; and the Laboratory of Phenomics and Early Embryogenesis (LAFET), directed by Dr. Ricardo Fuentes.
The project
As reported by the University of Concepción, the project is called “Development of a biotechnological tool for the rapid detection of contaminant resistance genes in wastewater” and is financed through the Fund for the Promotion of Scientific and Technological Development (Fondef) of the Research and Development in Action (IDeA) program.
As explained by academic Andrés Opazo, “the idea is to propose and produce a technological platform to detect antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater. Traditional microbiological control methods for drinking, recreational or other types of water normally include chemical and microbiological parameters, but not biological contamination, as in this case with resistance genes.
This could apply directly to the Avendaño Lagoon, to directly have local data that evaluates said biological contamination and, in the process, determine what bacterial agents are found there.
“It is crucial to have local data evaluating biological contamination associated with the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, because once these genes are in the environment, they can be taken up by other bacteria and ultimately contribute to the proliferation of infections resistant to antibiotics,” commented Opazo.
“The developed platform will have the ability to monitor water treatment plants, which allows evaluating genetic contamination in a city without the need to take samples from people,” said the academic.
AfterFor his part, Professor Luis Ricardo Fuentes explained that the team is developing a system “that recognizes genetic material in wastewater, in this case bacterial, but could recognize any type of genetic material present, including antibiotic resistance genes.” He also explained that “currently, researchers belonging to the Faculty of Natural and Oceanographic Sciences of the University of Concepción are studying pollution parameters in the Avendaño Lagoon, our detection platform could be added as another indicator of water quality in this place. The declaration of Laguna Avendaño as the first urban wetland in the Nuble Region in 2022 invites the authority and the scientific community to generate strategies for its protection. Along these lines, our platform under development would allow the detection of other characteristics and contamination parameters that could exist in the place. The above will serve as a first starting point for the development of new technologies that contribute to its subsequent decontamination.”
Application in the lagoon
For more than a year, the UdeC has been working in coordination with the ministerial authorities of the Ñuble Region and the Municipality of Quillón, constantly monitoring the pH levels in the water of the Avendaño Lagoon.
That is why this new project aims to also be applied in the place, joint work with the Seremi de Medio Ambiente. In this regard, Seremi Mario Rivas explained that this “would allow for the generation of traceability regarding the sources of contamination in the water and to have more precise information to take sanctioning actions if appropriate and to have concrete data that would allow generating lines of work to stop contamination in the lagoon”.
He also added that “that is why we are making every effort in every possible aspect to achieve its conservation. “We want to ensure that it reopens, that it recovers its biodiversity and ecosystem balance.”
The mayor of Quillón, Miguel Peña, maintained that the work of the University of Concepción has been permanent and important to identify which organisms are in the lagoon and provide solutions to the vacationers who come to the place.
The communal chief indicated that “an agreement was made with the UdeC, where they have many specialists in all matters of water analysis who come and monitor our lagoon, doing the corresponding examinations. All this in conjunction with the municipality and Seremi de Medio Ambiente, where we also have our own sampling. Salud also comes every month to do lifts. The truth is that the technical studies that are being done with the University of Concepción are extremely important. We hope that in a short time we can have what is required of us as a health resolution and be ready for the season.”
Panorama actual
The Avendaño Lagoon has a prohibition on access to its waters.Since March of this year, but not to the place itself, so many people access it and do not respect the resolution issued by the authorities.
“Access to the lagoon is free, what is the lagoon, the environment, the walk. What we have is a prohibition on contact with water. The same thing is always done, due to some consultations that were made last year for possible allergies. We are working with all the teams and on Thursday we were in a conversation where the health department indicated that they should see if the water is suitable for bathing.”
The mayor assures that different action plans will be implemented, such as showers, so that vacationers can use them before and after entering the lagoon. “It is a health issue to give more security to people.people,” said Peña.
From the Seremi de Salud of Ñuble they sent samples to the laboratory again to be able to make a decision regarding this new season, results that would be ready within the next few days. Ximena Salinas, seremi of the area, explained that the samples were sent for study on Thursday.
“The biological analysis lasts seven days and the physical-chemical analysis lasts 15. Bathing cannot be authorized while we are waiting for these results. If it leaves in good condition, a rigorous control will be carried out and the preventive measures implemented by the Municipality of Quillón will be disseminated,” the authority said. Salinas also indicated that “since we do not know the quality of the water, we cannot know if those who enter are at risk. Therefore, as a preventive measure, it is suggested not to bathe in the lagoon.”
Impact on the sector
The tourism sector sees the application of these investigations positively, since they greatly help to detect what is really happening in the lagoon.
According to the Quillón Chamber of Tourism, the arrival of visitors to the sector has decreased by 80% after the closure, something that undoubtedly affects its economic and productive activity.
Its president, Andrés Paquien, commented that “the water in the lagoon has not been bad. In several lakes people get allergies and it seems that they are all the same. We have done sampling and they have all come out normal in terms of pH. They shouldn’t have it closed, with all the winter rain it has never been contaminated. Here tourism has dropped by 80% and we have been in a complex situation, we are on a tightrope with the cabins.”
In that sense, they hope to have a resolution as soon as possible, both from the municipality and the health authorities, so that people can go and safely spend a summer that anticipates record temperatures.
