Recent decades were characterized by an accelerated rhythm of industrialization and urbanization, these implying the rapid deterioration of water courses due to untreated discharges. It has been internationally acknowledged that water problems are severe, this being reflected in the growing international concern. This serious water pollution problem is because much of the sewage in urban areas goes untreated into rivers. As a result, surface waters and groundwater have been increasingly polluted due to industrial and domestic wastewater and agricultural runoff. Contamination of surface waters through the discharge of faecal material is an important water quality problem in many urban environments. The high degree of pollution of the environment as a result of human activities can turn easily into an ecological disaster. This paper examines the impact of human factors on the quality of water courses with a focus on Nicolina River which crosses the city of Iasi and flows into Bahlui River. Faecal indicators were monitored between November 2010 and January 2011 in three different sampling points along Nicolina River. High levels of total and faecal coliform bacteria were present while comparatively low levels of enterococci were found. The results suggest that higher bacterial concentrations at downstream sampling points are strongly associated with human factors.