Doria, Bernard S.

Date Submitted: June 12, 2020

EnE 210 Water Quality Control and Management (GF)

Problem Set #2

1. The solutions to water quality problems are clear and well researched. The key
question moving forward is: how can we mobilize individuals, businesses,
Communities, and governments to prevent pollution, treat polluted waters, and restore
Waterways to health? Strategies to implement water quality improvements will require
Awareness building increased monitoring, and better governance and regulation.
Elaborate on these three mechanisms to achieving water quality improvements in the
Philippines. Discuss with the aid of a case study.

 The three mechanisms to achieving water quality improvements in the

Philippines are as follows: (1) education and awareness-building; (2)
monitoring and data collection; and (3) governance and regulation.

Education and Awareness-Building

In building community knowledge, as well as support for the importance of

protecting and improving water quality, education and awareness building
campaigns play a critical role. Further, it is important to note that acts such as:
improvement in the quality water, prevention of point and non-point source
pollution, treatment of wastewater before disposal and restoration of the quality
of waterways all require political will.

Accordingly, building community knowledge and support can lead to the

implementation of legislation and regulation, which primarily aims to protect water
quality, improve enforcement of the same and increase the willingness on the
part of the policy makers and elected officials to act.

The key goals for education and awareness building include: (1) changing
individual behavior, which impacts water quality; (2) changing policy, which helps
in the promotion of water quality improvement; (3) increasing enforcement, which
is needed in order to achieve the benefits of the implemented regulations; and (4)
investor, consumer or community pressure on corporations, which aids in
identifying the sources of pollution or contamination;

In several cases, it has been observed that success in the education and
awareness-building efforts can be connected to the people who care about water
quality. Therefore, when water quality finds relevance and relativity in one’s life,
the latter becomes more engaged in the enforceability of the legislation and
regulation. Such engagement then leads to the promotion of better water quality
behavior and also builds political will for effective implementation.

1|Page
 Case Study: Widespread problem of unsafe drinking water in India

Due to the widespread problem of unsafe drinking water in India, the Community
Led Environmental Action Network (CLEAN-India) initiated an awareness
movement, aiming to increase the consciousness of people in the quality of the
water they drink. This movement was done through monitoring and community
education activities.

Monitoring and community education activities were participated by school

children from different schools across India. These students involved themselves
in monitoring activities and raising awareness in their communities. In addition,
testing of drinking water was also done seasonally. In this case, if the tested
drinking water is found to be unsafe, recommendations on how to improve and
make the drinking water shall be given to the affected community.

As a result, the above-mentioned movement increased the awareness of people

in the water quality they consume.

Monitoring and Data Collection

Monitoring and data collection, through the provision of baseline data and
comparison between the different bodies of water, can help to: (1) determine the
impacts of industrial, agricultural and other human activities; (2) quantify the
effectiveness of policies and management plans; (3) develop water-management
models; (4) prioritize where management effort should be concentrated; and (5)
communicate to key stakeholders about pollution, human health concerns and
degraded ecosystems.

Essentially, data gathering and monitoring is significant in determining

whether a body of water (lakes, reservoirs, rivers and groundwater) is
improving or deteriorating and also, helps in identifying both the growing
problems and potential solutions that require prompt action. However, in the
course of such procedures, challenges may possibly occur.

Studies show that the greatest problems with water quality data are:

(1) insufficiency of collected data;

(2) collected data is rarely shared

Case Study: U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS)

National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA)

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began the National Water Quality
Assessment (NAWQA) program in 1991, which aimed to collect a wide variety of
chemical, biological and physical water quality data from basins across the

2|Page
 nation. It maintained instruments that continuously record physical and chemical
characteristics of water, including pH, specific conductance, temperature,
dissolved oxygen and percent dissolved-oxygen saturation. Additionally, it
collected data on nutrients, pesticides and other contaminants.

In order to make the aforementioned data available, ISGS developed a data

“warehouse” to store, manage and distribute water quality data to researchers
and the public. The said warehouse served and was used by federal agencies,
states, tribes, environmental groups, community organizations and universities.

Governance and Regulation

Water governance refers to the range of political, social, economic and

administrative system that have developed to allocate and manage water
resources and to implement the water quality solution. Such term also includes
the mechanisms, processes and institutions, through which all involved
stakeholders articulate their priorities, exercise their legal rights, meet their
obligations and mediate their differences.

On the other hand, lack of good governance (including ineffective policies,

corruption and lack of appropriate infrastructure, along with a shortage of new
investments in building human capacity) contributes to different kinds of water
quality problems.

Case Study: National Water Act in 1998 of South Africa

In South Africa, environmental degradation, growing human water demands and

global climate has recently been observed for the past few years. Thus, in order
to address such problems, the National Water Act of 1998 was passed. This act
was lauded as a progressive policy, engaging in water reform.

 National Act of 1998 embodied the recognition that “nature must have a water
right” and established a “reserve, which requires a minimum level of instream
flow to ensure ecosystem sustainability and a human reserve, which requires
quantities of water necessary to meet the basic human needs.” It also created
compulsory national water quality and supply standards, standard water tariffs
and regulations for water services providers to follow in order to provide a
framework for local government to provide efficient, affordable, economical and
sustainable access to water services. Lastly, it helped to give meaning to the
right of access of all people to a basic level of clean water provision, which was
contained both in the Constitution and the act itself.

3|Page
2. Establishment of specific, binding water quality standards can assist efforts to
Improve water quality by increasing accountability for implementation of pollution-
Control measures and overall water quality monitoring. Explain the possible reasons
Why we remain to be limited by a singular generalized water quality standard in the
Country.

 Generally, binding water quality standards are established at the national level.
These standards help ensure that drinking water is safe for human consumption.
Correspondingly, many countries around the world have established drinking
water quality regulation to safeguard human health.

Here in the Philippines, basic policy is taken from Republic Act No. 9275, also
known as the Philippine Clean Water Act. This act aims to protect the country’s
bodies of water from pollution from land-based sources and provides for a
comprehensive and integrated strategy to prevent and minimize pollution through
a multi-sectoral and participatory approach involving all the stakeholders. The
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is the primary
government agency responsible for the implementation and enforcement of R.A.
No. 9275, with the support of other government organizations, local government
units, non-government organizations and the private sector.

As mentioned earlier, water quality standards are meant to protect the bodies of
water in general, thus, such standards should be in place in order to strengthen
the efficiency of the monitoring system, if applied in the Philippines. Limitations
are taken into consideration here because it is difficult to set water quality
standards where change variably exists, depending on the time of the day, tide
and even season. Also note that the basis of water quality standards should
always rely on the carrying capacity of the area.

3. Discuss the market-based mechanisms in the implementation of water quality

regulations as an alternative to the more traditional “command and control”
mechanisms. Mention specific cases where market-based mechanisms are
implemented
in the country.

 Market-based mechanisms aid in the implementation of water quality regulations.

These mechanisms also encourage behavior through market signals and are an
alternative to the more traditional “command and control” mechanisms.

Market-based mechanisms, as an alternative to the more traditional “command

and control” mechanisms work by holding all polluters to the same pollution
control target. However, such activity can be economically inefficient due to the
reason that cost of control measures can greatly vary among polluters,
depending to factors such as age and type of facility.

4|Page
 O
R
A
E
S
N
B
C
,q
L
2
jf
:F
y
T
M
D
g
h
m
z
c
a
w
1
)
b
;(
e
d
v
r
p
in
t
lu
o
s
I
k
Here in the Philippines, several pollution control and waste management policies
are implemented, targeting to promote the integration of environment regulations
and mechanisms such as – market-based mechanism.

Market-based mechanism is now regarded here as a philosophic and practical

approach to environmental legislations. Clean Water Act of 2004 is an example.
This act promotes the use of market-based or economic policy instruments,
through transferring of funds between polluters and the community and by
creating markets for pollution emissions such as permits.

4. Recommendations for moving forward to solve global water quality challenges

Encompass education and capacity building, legal, financial, technology and
Infrastructure, and data and monitoring, which vary accordingly depending on scale
(International, national, watershed, household/community). Generate a graphic figure
or a flow chart that will display the continuing sequence of stages and/or
Interconnection between these recommendations that best illustrate the most effective
Approach to dealing with water quality problems in Metro Manila for you. Provide an
Explanation to your figure.

 The above-mentioned five recommendations are interconnected with each other

and can serve as most effective approach to dealing with water quality problems
in Metro Manila, especially when applied and taken as one. By following the
stages, through the provided sequence, issues on the quality of water may be
determined, tackled and solved.

5. Discuss how oceanographic processes (tides, waves, currents) drive coastal water

5|Page
Quality (concentration and distribution) and how are they affected by geographic
Location and climate change/climate variability.

Oceanographic processes have a major impact in life.

Oceanographic processes (such as overflows and barotropic tidal currents),

including intermittent processes (such as vertical eddies, deep sea storms,
horizontal vortices, internal waves and tsunamis) are rapidly evolving.

Furthermore, importance of tides to coastal geological processes is threefold:

First, the periodic change in water level results in different parts of the foreshore
being exposed to wave energy throughout the day. In regions with large tidal
ranges, the water may rise and fall ten meters and the shoreline may move
laterally several kilometers between high and low water. This phenomenon is
very important biologically because the ecology of tidal flats depends on their
being alternately flooded and exposed. The geological significance is that various
parts of the intertidal zone are exposed to erosion and deposition.

Second, tidal currents themselves can erode and transport sediment. Generally,
tidal currents become stronger near the coast and play an increasingly important
role in local circulation. Because of the rotating nature of the tidal wave in many
locations (especially inland seas and enclosed basins), ebb and flood currents
follow different paths. As a result, residual motions can be highly important in
terms of transport and sedimentation. In inlets and estuaries, spatially
asymmetric patterns of ebb and flood may cause mass transport of both water
and sediment.

Third, tides cause the draining and filling of tidal bays. These bays are found
even in low-tide coasts such as the Gulf of Mexico. This process is important
because it is related to the cutting and migration of tidal inlets and the formation
of flood- and ebb-tidal shoals on barrier coasts. The exchange of seawater in and
out of tidal bays is essential to the life cycle of many marine species.

6. What are ballast water and its environmental impacts? Discuss concrete steps on
how can it be properly managed?

 Ballast water is any solid or liquid, which is brought on board by a vessel in order
to increase the draft, change the trim, regulate the stability or to maintain stress
loads with acceptable limits. For the most part, its main purpose is to provide
stability to a vehicle or structure, but in this case, to watercrafts.

Ballast water plays a vital role as a “species-moving vector” and remains to be

indispensable for safety and security in the operation. However, a number of
researches proven by scientists and experts that ballast water is a significant

6|Page
 path from the transfer of harmful and damaging aquatic organisms, which pose
serious ecological, economic and health problems.

Ballast water discharge by watercrafts such as ships, large tankers and bulk
cargo carriers, can leave a negative impact on the marine environment. The said
discharge typically contains a variety of biological materials, including plants,
animals, viruses and bacteria, which can cause extensive ecological, economic
and health damages to the aquatic ecosystems along with serious human issues
such as death.

Upon the recognition of the importance of ballast water, 1973 International

Maritime Organization Resolution (IMO 1973) was passed. It then worked toward
the finalization of the BMW Convention, which aims to prevent, minimize and
eliminate the risks to the environment, human health, property and resource
caused by the transferring of harmful organisms from the watercrafts’ ballast
water discharge. As introduced and defined by the said convention, Ballast Water
Management means mechanical, physical, chemical and biological processes,
either singularly or in combination, to remove, render harmless or avoid the
uptake or discharge of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens within ballast
water and sediments. Similarly, Ballast Water Management System was
established, which primarily works as a treatment to ballast water even at
present.

7. What are the advantages & disadvantages of withdrawing groundwater for water
Use? NWRB through its Resolution No. 001-0904 already set a moratorium on the
construction of deep wells to prevent further over-extraction of groundwater in
MetroManila. State and elaborate your position on this with respect to managing
groundwater use in the metro.

 Groundwater is the water located in the ground, underneath the Earth’s surface.
It can be found in the shallow solid and the spaces between underground rocks.

Advantages of Withdrawing Disadvantages of Withdrawing

Groundwater Groundwater
Usage as drinking water and irrigation, Depletion of aquifers and other sources
including other vital and everyday of underground water
purposes
Destruction of the soil and rocks
located underneath the Earth’s surface
Impairment of the land, as well as the
structural integrity of buildings

7|Page
 As per National Water Resources Board (NWRB) through its Resolution No. 001-
0904, groundwater extraction is strictly prohibited throughout Metro Manila,
including certain parts of Bulacan and Cavite provinces. Also, extraction in the
other areas of the country are now being regulated by the NWRB. It stopped the
construction of deep wells.

I agree with the above-mentioned resolution as severe water extraction from the
groundwater produces negative effects such as: (1) intrusion of seawater and
into the groundwater; (2) land subsidence, which leads to the damage of
buildings, bridges and highways due to the sudden changes in the ground
elevation; (3) major floods, which takes longer period of time to subside.

8. Enumerate/describe the parameters that dictate groundwater potential/availability.

Based on these, what do you think is the best way to manage groundwater quality and
availability?

a) Lithology. It influences the water holding capacity of aquifer and directly

affects the occurrence and distribution of groundwater.
b) Slope. It is important in analyzing the terrain, as it can affect the groundwater
in terms of storage, flow and discharge.
c) Lineament Density. It provides space for the occurrence of groundwater.
d) Topology. It controls the groundwater supply conditions
e) River Density. It represents the recharge conditions to quantify the influence
caused by surface water, where higher density provides better recharge
conditions.

9. Aside from unmitigated point and non-point sources of pollution loading, discuss at
least two other water quality issues/concerns for Manila Bay. Provide your
recommendations to achieving solutions to such.

 Manila Bay is the Philippine’s major hub and international gateway to its political,
economic and social center. The bay, with its semi-enclosed estuary facing the
South China Sea, represents a significant asset, especially in the provision of
food, livelihood, employment, recreation and a definite source of economic
benefit here in the country.

However, the Manila Bay’s sustainability and diverse ecosystem is currently

facing threats from the different kinds of human activities. These activities include
over-population, pollution, illegal fishing, uncontrolled development, loss of
habitats and decreasing resources, which undoubtedly lead in the destruction of
the water quality of Manila Bay. As an effect, there is a degradation and
declination of the ecosystem, thus, affecting the benefits from the said bay.

8|Page
 The lead agency, particularly the Department of the Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) classified at least two major issues, concerning the Manila
Bay as of date – (1) deterioration of water quality and (2) coastal erosion and
siltation. The identified problems are said to be caused by human activities.

As solution to the deterioration of water quality and coastal erosion and siltation,
several laws are then implemented for the protection, as well as for the
conservation of the Manila Bay. An example of this is the implementation of the
Manila Bay Environment Management Project, which I duly commend. The said
project is a local component of the Regional Program on Building Partnerships in
Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia.

DENR’s primordial concern focuses on water quality. As recommendation, it

would be efficient if such agency coordinates with the concerned Local
Government Units (LGUs) encompassing the Manila Bay. Further,
implementation of effective ordinances is also a key

10. For the given water system below:

• a seasonal river with a reservoir to balance

a) a seasonal river with a reservoir to balance the high supply in the wet
season with the comparative high demand in the dry season
b) a groundwater aquifer underlying the city and the agricultural area
c) a diversion weir and a main canal system with regulating structures to
supply water to a city and an agricultural area
d) a reservoir dam with a hydropower plant
e) an aver expanding city with a fully metered water distribution system to
serve domestic and industrially water demand; the city is responsible
for the treatment if its wastewater
f) an industrial sector depending for its growth and performance on a
reliable water supply
g) an expanding agricultural area, primarily based on surface irrigation,
with conjunctive use of groundwater; farmers can select different
cropping patterns, each with its characteristic water requirements,
response to water shortage and water quality; profitability depends on
yields, market prices, water prices and irrigation service fees
h) a drainage system, which returns the wastewater to the river; re-use of
drainage water from either the city or the agricultural wastewater is
possible
i) river floodplains, which are important breeding grounds for the fish
population in the downstream delta and are tourist areas
j) a downstream deltaic area, with an important fisheries production
k) there are three institutional stakeholders, the river basin authority, the
city water supply utility and the irrigation district association. Identify
two impending problems that you think will be most crucial.

9|Page
• an industrial sector depending for its growth
• an expanding agricultural area, primarily
• an industrial sector depending for its growth
• an expanding agricultural area, primarily different cropping patterns, each with its
characteristic water requirements, respons
• a groundwater aquifer underlying the city
• a diversion weir and a main canal system with
• a reservoir dam with a hydropower plant
• an ever expanding city with a fully me

Identify two impending problems that you think will be most crucial. Define solution
alternatives with specific objectives. Formulate amanagement strategy (a
combination of alternatives) for IWRM to be achieved. Discuss possible window(s) of
integration and collaboration between the stakeholders.

Define solution alternatives with specific objectives. Formulate a management

strategy (a combination of alternatives) for IWRM to be achieved. Discuss
possible window(s) of integration and collaboration between the stakeholders.

 The Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Strategy is a framework

of agreement on major water resources issues, developed by the primary water
management agencies and water resources stakeholders in the Tualatin River
Basin. The IWRM Strategy considers water resources needs in the Tualatin River
from a watershed-wide perspective and encompasses a broad range of water
quality and water quantity concerns.

There are several water issues, which need urgent solutions. However, it is
important to note that such solutions need to consider factors, including social,
economic and political forces that are not easy to achieve.

An IWRM approach to sustainable management and development of water

resources may take into a number of forms. The most powerful reason here is to
address and focus in water problems affecting society. More commonly, the
recognition that water problems are symptomatic of a deeper failure of water
management systems leads to long term planning with an agenda for more
sustainable use of water resources. The identification of water as a key factor in
poverty reduction and sustainable development also drives national planning on
water.

A solution is an IWRM plan, endorsed and implemented by government. In the

process, the stakeholders and politicians will become more informed about water
issues, the importance and the benefits from addressing sustainable
management and development of the water resources. The plan may be more or
less detailed depending upon the present situation in the country but will identify

10 | P a g e
 longer term steps that will be required to continue along a path to sustainability,
social equity and efficiency of use.

Moreover, being strategic means to seek the solutions that attack the causes of
the water problems rather than the symptoms. It takes a long term view.
Understanding the underlying forces that cause water-related problems helps to
build-up a shared water vision and commitment to make that vision come true.

In that sense a strategy sets the long term framework for incremental action that
moves towards sustainable use of water resources using IWRM principles.

Another feature of water strategy is the consideration of conflict. Management of

water resources is a process characterized by the clash of competing and
conflicting interests and viewpoints. The integrated approach to water resources
management promotes enhanced dialogue, negotiation and participation
mechanisms. Applying these principles in the strategy and the subsequent
planning process bringstransparency to decision making, acknowledgement of
trade-offs, and commitment to implementing the plans.

11 | P a g e