Evaluation of Coliform Bacteria and Copper (Cu) in Upstream of Blanakan River, Subang, West Java

This study aims to determine the quality of water by evaluating the presence or absence of coliform bacteria and heavy metal Cu as well. The water quality evaluation was conducted in the upstream of Blanakan river, considering that the upstream is vulnerable since it receives more pollutants due to human activity. The water samples were collected from three stations in upstream. The Cu in water was analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). Likewise, the coliform bacteria were counted by using Most probably Number (MPN) method. The results showed that the range of coliform bacteria was 0.43 – 110 MPN/ml and the average was 36.9 MPN/ml, which is exceeding the range of water quality standard class I according to Government Regulation No.82 of 2001. Meanwhile, the average value of heavy metals Cu is 0.04 mg/L, which is also exceeding the range of water quality standard class I according to Government Regulation No.82 of 2001. Hence, the upstream of Blanakan river has been contaminated by coliform and Cu.


Introduction
Water is one of the essential natural resources that are very useful for the survival of living things. The availability of water resources for an allotment depends on the quality of the water resources. One of the primary sources of water in the surface water is the river [1]. The upstream area of Blanakan river, Subang, West Java is an area that has many community activities. One of the impacts is the pollution on the environment in water due to wastes. Waste originating from land to upstream and estuary generally comes from human activities such as animal husbandry, fishponds, settlements and shipping [2]. In the upstream of Blanakan river, there are several settlements around the riverbanks (Figure 1). That causes the river to becomes vulnerable to pollution. One of the pollutants that have the potential to contaminate the Blanakan river is heavy metal Copper (Cu) and coliform bacteria.
Copper is one of the essential metals that can be found in air, soil and water. However, the presence of heavy metals Cu at high concentrations will be toxic for the aquatic organisms in the river and can reduce the quality of the waters. Cu can be distributed to the organism and will be accumulated through various intermediaries, such as air, food, or water that has been contaminated by heavy metals [3]. Cu that enters the river can come from a variety of sources. Usually, the source that causes high concentrations of Cu in water is household waste, urban waste and hull preservative paint [4].
The decrease in water quality can be detected, for example, by using an indicator of microorganisms pollution. There is a group of microorganisms commonly used as bioindicators, namely coliform bacteria. Coliform bacteria are a group of microorganisms commonly used as biological indicators, and these bacteria can be used as a detector to determine whether pathogens have contaminated a water source or not and its density is directly proportional to the level of water pollution. In addition, coliforms have more prolonged survival and age compared to pathogens and are easily detected and identified [5].
Risk of heavy metal and coliform contamination in the upstream of Blanakan river has led to the need for heavy metal pollution and coliform studies which can be used as an indicator of water quality in this area. This study aims to determine the quality of water by evaluating the presence or absence of coliform bacteria and heavy metal Cu in the upstream of Blanakan river. This study is expected to increase knowledge that can improve water quality in the upstream of Blanakan river.

Study Site
The Blanakan river located in Subang district, West Java province. The station geo-coordinates were from upstream at -6.277444, 107.6599 to downstream (river mouth) -6.240083, 107.667472 ( Figure 2). The width of Blanakan river is varied from 11 m in the upstream to 60 m in the downstream. In upstream, the river was surrounded by settlements and paddy field, in midstream was transition area from paddy field to fish pond and downstream was dominated by the fish pond and vegetated by mangrove. The coliform samples were collected upstream in station 1, 2 and 3.

Coliform Bacteria Sampling and Measurement
Samples were taken at three stations in the upstream of Blanakan river in April 2019. The collection of water samples to detect microorganisms was using a sterile bottle. The bottle was dipped in the same direction as the water, and the bottle was closed tightly. Then the sample was placed in a cool box [6].
The water samples were analyzed in the BPPT laboratory using the Most Probable Number (MPN) method. MPN test was performed in three steps, namely presumptive test, confirmed test, and complete test. The density of coliform bacteria was calculated according to the below formula [7]:

Cu Sampling and Measurement
Cu sample was taken from the water at three stations in the upstream of the Blanakan river in April 2019 using a bottle sample. Content of Cu was analyzed in the laboratory by using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry method (AAS) [8].  In Table 1 and Figure 3, we can see that the coliform in station 2 and 3 still below the range of water quality standard Class I issued by    From Table 2 and Figure 4 we can see that the Cu in the water at three stations were equal to 0.04 mg/l and it has exceeded Class I, Class II, Class III of water quality standard issued by Government Regulation No. 82 of 2001.  be used for the cultivation of freshwater fish, animal husbandry, water for irrigating crops, and other designation that requires the same water as the use. (4) Class IV, water can be used to irrigate, plant and or other uses that require the same water quality as these uses [13].

Results
The result of coliform in station 1 has exceeded the range of all water quality standard, including Class I, Class II, Class III and Class IV issued by Government Regulation No.82 of 2001. Meanwhile, at station 2 and 3, the coliform results were still within the range of water quality standard of Class I. Furthermore, the average of total coliform which is 3.69 x 10 MPN/ml has exceeded the Class I but still below Class II. That happens because, in station 1, the settlement in the riverbank is denser than in station 2 and station 3. That will cause a high risk of contamination of domestic waste into rivers. Besides that, there were also several latrines observed on the riverbank (Figure 1). When coliform in Blanakan river compared to the other locations in Table 3, the range of coliform in the Blanakan river and Banjir Kanal Timur river are quite high than in the Pakerisan river. At Banjir Kanal Timur river, domestic wastewater treatment plants are not yet available, so domestic waste is generally disposed of directly into the river. Based on the literature, coliform contamination in water bodies is caused by human activities and domestic wastes [14] and by poor sanitation, such as the absence of adequate sewage treatment.
The result of Cu in three station at Blanakan river has exceeded the range of water quality standard of Class I, Class II and Class III issued by Government Regulation No. 82 of 2001. The Cu in Blanakan river is higher compared to Cu in Pangkajene river and Lowatog river (Table 4). High Cu can be caused by population density, which leads to domestic waste disposal. The majority of Blanakan residents are fishermen who have boats. Hence, many boats park along the river banks ( Figure 5) and many boat activities. The Cu contamination in water bodies is related to domestic waste and ship washing activities. That also related to the fact that Cu is generally contained in the boat paint [4,15].
Cu and coliform are indicators that can be used for assessing environmental quality, according to Government Regulation No. 82 of 2001. Therefore, Cu and coliform data reinforce each other [13]. This fact indicates that based on Cu and coliform data in this study, the upstream of Blanakan river in station 1 has been polluted. The coliforms were high, even though the Cu contents were high related to various factors. For example, the resistance factor. Some waterborne bacteria were reported having resistance against antibiotics and heavy metals as well [16]

Conclusion
The results of this study indicate that the range of coliform in the upstream of Blanakan river was 0.43-110 MPN/ml, and the Cu content was 0.04 mg/l. The upstream of Blanakan river in station 1 was extremely polluted since the coliform has reached 110 MPN/ml and has exceeded the Government Regulation No. 82 of 2001. Moreover, Cu content in upstream of Blanakan river has exceeded the range of water quality standard of Class I, Class II and Class III issued by Government Regulation No. 82 of 2001.