The estuary of the Rancheria river is a dynamic and complex system that provides social services, goods and ecosystem services to most of the municipalities of La Guajira in Colombia. The objective of this research was to analyze the spatial and temporal distribution of fecal coliforms (FC) to determine the quality of surface waters for recreational use. The samplings were carried out between september (2014) and march (2015), monthly in five sites; Mouth (DB), the Mirador (EM), Villa Fatima (VF) on El Riíto arm (ER) and Cangrejito (CG), Valley of the Crabs (VC) in the Calancala arm (BC), analyzed the content of fecal coliforms by the technique of dilutions in multiple tubes or most probable number (MPN/100 ml). The content of fecal coliforms (FC) was not presented significant differences between sites, but between the sampling. The highest values were related to the areas with greatest water travel and nearby urban centers. The density of microorganisms evaluated showed temporal differences. The evaluation of the quality of water in the estuary of the Rancheria River presents conditions not suitable for recreational use (Primary and Secondary Contact), which indicate a contamination mainly influenced by anthropic activities in nearby population zones.

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