Kajian konsentrasi amminia, nitrit,dan nitrat di perairan sungai Donan, Cilacap - Jawa Barat
S ungai Donan yang berada di Cilacap Propinsi Jawa Tengah, merupakan ekosistem perairan yang dipengaruhi oleh arus pasang surut. Potensi Sungai Donan dimanfaatkan para nelayan sebagai mata pencaharian. Ada beberapa jenis industri di sekitar Sungai Donan yang berpotensi mencemari lingkungan. Dari keberadaan industri tersebut hanya PT. Pertamina UP IV, Cilacap yang membuang limbah cairnya ke perairan (Kantor Badan Lingkungan Hidup Cilacap, 2009). Akibat adanya buangan limbah industri, maka diduga telah terjadi perubahan kualitas perairannya akibat kehadiran senyawa-senyawa nitrogen seperti ammonia, nitrit, dan nitrat dalam jumlah tertentu. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui konsentrasi ammonia, nitrit, dan nitrat, mengetahui hubungan parameter fisik seperti DO, pH, suhu, dan salinitas dengan senyawa nitrogen di perairan sungai Donan pada bulan Mei 2010 (kondisi muka air tinggi) dan Juni 2010 (kondisi muka air rendah), dan mengetahui perubahan konsentrasi ammonia, nitrit, dan nitrat di perairan akibat adanya air limbah dari kegiatan industri, terutama kilang minyak Pertamina. Untuk mengetahui konsentrasir ammonia, maka digunakan metode Nesslerized, sedangkan untuk mengetahui konsentrasi nitrit digunakan metode Kolorimetri, dan untuk mengetahui konsentrasi nitrat digunakan metode Brucin. Diperoleh konsentrasi tertinggi adalah ammonia sebesar 0,0683 mg/l pada bulan Juni 2010, nitrit pada bulan Mei dan Juni 2010 sebesar 0,873 mg/l, dan nitrat sebesar 3,0487 mg/l pada bulan Mei 2010. Disimpulkan bahwa konsentrasi senyawa nitrogen di perairan tersebut masih berada dalam kisaran Baku Mutu Perairan Kelas II Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 82 Tahun 2001 Tentang Pengelolaan Kualitas Lingkungan dan Pengendalian Pencemaran Air. Betapapun kecilnya konsentrasi senyawa nitrogen yang terdapat di suatu perairan akan dapat merubah kualitas air sehubungan dengan peruntukkannya.
D onan River that located on Cilacap, Province of Central Java is an aquatic ecosystem that much influenced by tidal current. Its potential source was utilized by the fishermen as their living resources. Unfortunately, there are also several industries located in the surroundings and their activities have some adverse effects to the Donan River, however, it was found that PT Pertamina UP IV, Cilacap was the only industries that dispose its waste water into the Donan River and the waste water contains nitrogen compound. (Kantor Badan Lingkungan Hidup Cilacap, 2009). It was expected that the disposal of this waste water into the Donan River will give an impact to the change of the water quality of Donan River in term of its nitrogen compound level. This study was aimed to evaluate the existing concentration of nitrogen compound in the Donan River, the possible change of its water quality due to the impact of the waste water and also the correlation of the other water quality parameters such are DO, pH, temperature, salinity to the nitrogen compound in the waters. Site study was conducted on May 2010 (high tide condition) and June 2010 (low tide condition) at seven points of sampling station along the path of the Donan River and the water samples were collected from those points with a composite treatment to each point. The water samples were then analyzed/for their ammonia content by Nessler method, nitrite content by colorimetry method and nitrate content by Brucin method. It was found that the highest level of the nitrogen compound was in June 2010 for ammonia (0,0683 mg/l) and in May 2010 for nitrate content (3,0487 mg/l), however, the highest concentration of nitrite was found both in May and June at the same level as much as 0,873 mg/l. It was concluded that those levels are still in the range of allowable concentration issued under the Government Regulation No. 82, 2001 on the purpose of Environmental Quality Management and Water Pollution Abatement. However, no matter how small the nitrogen compound was disposed, but still this may have an adverse effect ecologically to the Donan River as there was a hydrological pattern that characterized to this river