WATER QUALITY MONITORING FOR COLIFORM AND OTHER RELEVANT PARAMETERS IN THE PHILIPPINES

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WATER QUALITY MONITORING FOR COLIFORM AND OTHER
RELEVANT PARAMETERS IN THE PHILIPPINES

• Ella S. Deocadiz
• Environmental Management Bureau
• Department of Environment and Natural Resources
• June 2004

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OBJECTIVES OF WATER QUALITY MONITORING IN THE
PHILIPPINES

• -To protect the environment and human health from
  the effects of low water quality
• -To establish baseline data and provide the
  latest/updated information on the quality of
  bathing beaches
• -To check if water quality of water bodies meet
  the officially promulgated water quality
  objectives and criteria and
• -To initiate corrective and other actions to
  improve water quality.

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WATER QUALITY CRITERIA

• Rules and Regulations (DAO 34/1990)
• Classification and Relevant Beneficial Uses
  related to recreational waters
• -Class B Recreational Water Class I. For
  primary contact recreation such as bathing,
  swimming, skin diving, etc. (particularly those
  designated for tourism purposes)
• -Class SB Recreational Water Class I. Areas
  regularly used by the public for bathing,
  swimming, skin diving, etc.

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WATER QUALITY CRITERIA

• Rules and Regulations (DAO 34/1990)
• Classification and Relevant Beneficial Uses
  related to recreational waters
• -Class C Recreational Water Class II. For
  boating, etc.
• -Class SC Recreational Water Class II. For
  boating, etc.

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WATER QUALITY CRITERIA

• Recreational criteria values for selected
  parameters
• Class B Class C
• Coliform, Fecal, MPN/100mL 200 -
• Coliform, Total, MPN/100 mL 1,000
  5,000
• DO, mg/L
  5.0 5.0
• DO, saturation 70 60
• pH 6.5-8.5 6.5-8.5
  
• Temperature, max. rise in deg. C 3
  3

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WATER QUALITY CRITERIA

• Recreational criteria values for selected
  parameters
• Class SB Class SC
• Coliform, Fecal, MPN/100mL 200
  -
• Coliform, Total, MPN/100 mL 1,000
  5,000
• DO, mg/L
  5.0 5.0
• DO, saturation 70 70
• pH 6.0-8.5 6.0-8.5
  
• Temperature, max. rise in deg. C 3
  3

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WATER QUALITY MONITORING ACTIVITIES

• Manila Bay
• Period covered 1985-1991 1996-present
• Parameters Fecal and total coliform, DO, pH,
  Temperature, Heavy metals, Nutrients, Oil
  and grease, Salinity, Temperature, POPs
• Media Seawater, Sediment, Shellfish, Benthos

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WATER QUALITY MONITORING ACTIVITIES

• Frequency
• Bathing Water Quality in Eastern Western
  Manila Bay
• Seawater
• - Fecal and total coliform (Monthly)
• Heavy Metals POPs Analyses in Shellfishes
• Shellfish
• - Heavy metals (As, Cu, Hg, Pb)
  Quarterly-1985-
• 1991 Semi annually - 1996-present
• - POPs (Semi-annually every 3
  years,1996-present)

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WATER QUALITY MONITORING ACTIVITIES

• Frequency
• Offshore Water Quality Monitoring
• Sediment
• Heavy metals, i.e. As, Cu, Hg, Pb
  (Quarterly)
• POPs (Semi-annually every 3 years, 1996
• present)
• Seawater
• DO, Nutrients, Oil and grease, pH,
  Salinity,
• Temperature (Quarterly)
• Benthos (Semi-annually, 1996 - present)

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WATER QUALITY MONITORING ACTIVITIES

• Frequency
• Central Outfall Monitoring
• Seawater
• DO, pH, Fecal and total coliform, Salinity,
• Temperature (Monthly/Quarterly)
• Southern Outfall Monitoring
• Seawater
• DO, Fecal and total coliform, pH, Salinity,
• Temperature (Monthly/Quarterly)

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WATER QUALITY MONITORING ACTIVITIES

• Other Beach Areas
• 20 bays/resorts (until 2003)
• 57 major bathing beaches (1st
  quarter of 2004)
• Period covered 2003 - present
• Parameters
• Fecal and total coliform, DO, pH, Temperature,
• TDS, TS, TSS, BOD, Color, Phosphate, Turbidity
• Follow up action
• - LGUs advised on areas exceeding water quality
• criteria (WQC) for bathing purposes
• - On-going monitoring activities
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WATER QUALITY MONITORING ACTIVITIES

• MMT Nationwide, for ECPs
• Period covered 1990 - present
• Parameters
• General BOD, Oil and Grease, pH,
  Temperature,TSS
• Other parameters Fecal total coliform, DO,
  etc.
• depending on
  project type)
• Follow up action Proponent officially informed
  re exceedances to institute mitigating
  measures if proponent takes no action within
  specified period, EMB issues NOV in consultation
  with EQD/PAB

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CAPABILITY OF EMB LABORATORIES IN WATER QUALITY
MONITORING

• Fecal and Total Coliform 6 labs
• (Total 17)
• DO all labs
• pH all labs
• Temperature all labs

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CAPABILITY OF DENR RECOGNIZED LABORATORIES IN
WATER QUALITY MONITORING

• Fecal and Total Coliform 20 labs
• (Total 31)
• DO 26 labs
• pH 31 labs
• Temperature 23 labs

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ISSUES/RECOMMENDATIONS

• -Sustainability of beach monitoring
• -Involvement of other stakeholders
• -Adoption of other monitoring parameters that
  could be measured by other stakeholders (e.g.,
  litter, macro biota, etc.)
• -Adoption and use of more rapid testing methods
  for microbiological monitoring, i.e., lt 24 h
  turnaround time
• -Capacity building for monitoring and
  identification of solutions to pollution problems
  in beaches.

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Salamat po!