Introduction:

water suitable for human consumption is the one that does not represent a risk to the health for the consumer, considering its organoleptic, physical, chemical and bacteriological characteristics, but this quality is affected by dumping of domestic, industrial and economic activities (Gamboa et al., 2015).

Objective:

this study was done in order to determine the microbiological quality of the Toca river, Tuaneca Abajo and the Center, department of Boyacá, Colombia.

Materials and methods:

in the basin, four sampling points were established, M1, M2, M3 and M4, at each point 50 ml samples of water were collected with 20 replicas, in sterile glass jars, refrigerated at 4 ° C in icopor coolers and processed in the shortest possible time in UPTC microbiology laboratory; where aerobic mesophiles, molds and yeasts were quantified by aerobic plate count; Total and fecal coliforms were evaluated using the Most Probable Number Technique (MPN).

Results:

the point sampling M1 had the highest of total coliforms values, equivalent to 1100 NMP/100mL, fecal coliforms: 43NMP/100mL. Likewise, of molds and yeasts 61X 103 CFU/mL; and the point with the highest value of mesophiles aerobic 13X104 CFU/mL corresponds to M2. Points M3 and M4 presented the absence of total coliforms.

Conclusions:

in contrast to Decree 1594 of 1984, on the use of water and liquid waste, the Toca River has poor water quality at sampling points M1 and M2, which present livestock activity and discharge of domestic wastewater.

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