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WATER QUALITY MONITORING FOR COLIFORM AND OTHER

RELEVANT PARAMETERS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Ella S. DeocadizEnvironmental Management BureauDepartment of Environment and Natural ResourcesJune 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 CColiform, Fecal, MPN/100mL 200 -Coliform, Total, MPN/100 mL 1,000 5,000 DO, mg/L 5.0 5.0DO, % saturation 70 60pH 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 SCColiform, Fecal, MPN/100mL 200 -Coliform, Total, MPN/100 mL 1,000 5,000 DO, mg/L 5.0 5.0DO, % saturation 70 70pH 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-presentParameters: 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 - presentParameters:

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 - presentParameters: 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 labsTemperature 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 labspH 31 labsTemperature 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., < 24 h turnaround time

-Capacity building for monitoring and identification of solutions to pollution problems in beaches.

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Salamat po!