The Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (SDGs) establish the need to guarantee quality water for all people. In numerous rural settlements of Colombia, access to clean drinking water is a formidable challenge as frequently observed when waterborne diseases arise, mainly in vulnerable populations without basic sanitation systems. The main objective of this study was to assess the quality and potential use of groundwater sampled from 17 monitored wells in a typical rural settlement in Colombia. Water quality was determined by applying a quality index and performing a principal component analysis (PCA) to determine the weights of each parameter. The results of the Phosphorus, Nitrates, Thermotolerant coliforms and pH variables exceeded regulatory limits, mainly in areas affected by anthropogenic sources with an insufficient sewage network. Coliform population and NO₃ exceeded World Health Organization recommended thresholds for drinking water. Therefore, the qualities of the studied water samples were unsuitable for human consumption without prior adequate treatment and, hence, one recommendation is to regulate groundwater monitoring quality. In addition, unhealthy waste disposal practices should be abolished, while permanently controlled modern techniques should be introduced.

Surface water resources have played a fundamental role in the development of human societies. Considering that different agricultural and industrial activities are carried out in the Acacias River basin, the main objective of this research was to analyze the influence of land use on the water quality in this area by identifying the main sources that influence river water quality. The methodology consisted of establishing 12 sampling stations with different land uses at three times. The National Sanitation Foundation-Water Quality Index (NSF-WQI) was applied to the obtained water quality evaluation data. The main results showed that the stations associated with urban centers presented a higher concentration in the following variables: fecal coliforms, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and phosphates. The principal components analysis revealed a close relation between the parameters of fecal coliforms, phosphates and BOD, and the pollution processes by organic matter, which are probably related to domestic and industrial wastewater discharges, and to detergents in urbanized areas. The parameters with the greatest range of values were total dissolved solids and turbidity. These results coincide with what was observed in the correlation analysis. Finally, nitrates showed higher concentrations at stations 6 and 7, associated with agricultural and industrial influence areas (i.e., oil palm crops in the basin). This study about the Acacias River is, thus, extremely important for the region, and concludes that the river’s self-purifying capacity allows improved water quality in the areas where the predominant land use is not associated with human settlements.