Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004

Ambient Water Quality Monitoring and Sampling Prepared by: Engr. Mclister A. Abellera  REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9275 “PHILIPPINE “An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Water CLEAN WATER ACT Quality Management and...

Ambient Water Quality Monitoring and Sampling Prepared by: Engr. Mclister A. Abellera  REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9275 “PHILIPPINE “An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Water CLEAN WATER ACT Quality Management and For Other Purposes ” OF 2004”  Republic Act 9275: “Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004” DAO 2005-10 Implementing Rules and Provides for a comprehensive Regulations of the Philippine and integrated strategy to Clean Water Act of 2004 prevent and minimize pollution through a multi- sectoral and participatory approach involving all the stakeholders.  Milestone Dates for RA 9275 March 22, 2004 Clean Water Act was enacted April 21, 2004 Publication of CWA May 6, 2004 Effectivity of CWA May 16, 2005 IRR signed (DAO 2005-10) May 26, 2005 Publication of IRR  Republic Act 9275: “Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004” SECTION 2 DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES “The State shall pursue a policy of economic growth in a manner consistent with the protection, preservation and revival of the quality of our fresh, brackish and marine waters. To achieve this end, the framework for sustainable development shall be pursued.”  Republic Act 9275: “Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004” SECTION 3 COVERAGE OF THE ACT The Clean Water Act applies to: ▪ Water quality management in all water bodies ▪ Abatement and control of pollution from land- based sources ▪ Enforcement of water quality standards, regulations and penalties  Republic Act 9275: “Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004” Chapter 3 INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISM Section 19. Lead Agency ▪ Primary agency responsible in the implementation and enforcement ‒ Review and set effluent standards ‒ Review and enforce water quality guidelines ‒ Classify groundwater sources and prepare a national groundwater vulnerability map ‒ Establish internally accepted procedures for sampling and analysis ‒ Prepare an integrated water quality management framework and subsequently prepare 10-yr management plans for each water management area  Basics of Water Quality Monitoring RA 9275 or the Philippine Clean Water Act (CWA) of 2004 defines water quality as “the characteristics of water which define its use in terms of physical, chemical, biological, bacteriological or radiological characteristics by which the acceptability of water is evaluated.” This definition implies that there is no singular measure of good water quality. While it can be agreed generally that water of good quality should be clear and free from harmful substances, presence of certain concentrations of such substances is acceptable provided those are within the water quality guideline values corresponding to the beneficial uses of the water. Objectives of Ambient Water Quality Monitoring In the Philippines, most ambient water quality monitoring activities are undertaken for such purposes as: 1. Classification of a water body. The water quality is monitored quarterly for a period of one year. Among other factors, e.g., existing use and social acceptability, the result of analyses are taken into account in deciding the appropriate classification of a water body or section of a water body. 2. Trend Monitoring to check if a water body is meeting its designated use. The water quality is monitored at regular frequency to check if the water body is meeting the guideline values for its classification. The results are used as basis for decision-making, e.g., whether to institute management interventions to improve water quality, or to reclassify a waterbody, etc. Objectives of Ambient Water Quality Monitoring 3. Designation of Non-Attainment Areas. A water body or portions of a water body may be identified as NAA for parameters whose guideline values are not being met. This is based on: (a) ten monthly sampling in a period of one year within the last two years, or (b) quarterly sampling within the last two years (except for parameters requiring more frequent sampling based on the DENR water quality guidelines). 4. Monitoring for ECC compliance. If required in the ECC, the quality of a water body is monitored to ensure that a project or undertaking within or near a water body is not affecting the water quality. Objectives of Ambient Water Quality Monitoring 5. Monitoring to identify causes and sources of water-related problems. In cases of occurrence of water-related problems, e.g., disease epidemic, fish kills, red tide, etc., water quality monitoring is undertaken to identify specific problem pollutants and sources and used as basis for identification of intervention and management strategies. 6. Monitoring for baseline data and scientific studies. Specific water quality parameters are analyzed for specified period of time to serve as baseline data or for certain studies 7. Monitoring for Other Purposes. Monitoring for purposes other than those mentioned above.  Establishing Monitoring Stations in Rivers and Streams In rivers, sampling stations are often identified in terms of distance or number of kilometers the station is upstream from the river mouth. Stationing should start from the mouth going upstream. Selection of the monitoring station should be based on the objective of monitoring, availability of resources, site accessibility and educated judgment as to whether a site can represent the water quality and biological diversity of the river or stream or segment thereof.  Establishing Monitoring Stations in Rivers and Streams 1. Points immediately before the inflow of river or stream into a marine water body 2. Points along the main river; (a) downstream of confluence and (b) upstream of the confluence with tributaries or drainage channels that may greatly affect the water quality. Select areas with the greatest degree of cross-sectional homogeneity. Sites immediately upstream or downstream from the confluence of two streams or rivers should generally be avoided because the flow from two tributaries may not immediately mix and can produce backflow that can upset the depositional flow patterns.  Establishing Monitoring Stations in Rivers and Streams 3. Points in the tributaries or drainage channel immediately before the confluence with the main or a major river 4. At areas of public use for water contact recreation (e.g. swimming areas) 5. Points along the river where there is a marked transition in topography such as where a waterfall occurs; (a) upstream of the waterfall, and (b) downstream at a point where mixing has already occurred 6. Points immediately before the inflow of the river or stream into lake, marsh or reservoir  Establishing Monitoring Stations in Rivers and Streams 7. At habitat areas of sensitive species (e.g. spawning areas important to fresh water fishes) 8. Variability of flow patterns caused by artificial physical structures such as dams, weirs, and wing walls must be considered in sampling site selection. These structures may influence the representative quality of the water. Samples should be taken (a) upstream of the structure and (b) downstream of the structure. 9. Tributaries should be sampled as near the mouth of the tributary as possible. Care should be exercised to avoid collecting water samples from stratified locations, which are due to differences in density resulting from temperature, dissolved solids, or turbidity.  Establishing Monitoring Stations in Rivers and Streams 7. Where there are suspected point (e.g. wastewater treatment plants) and non-point (e.g. feedlots) pollution sources; (a) upstream of the discharge point and (b) downstream of the discharge point. 8. Generally, for small streams less than 20 feet wide, a sampling site should be selected where the water is well mixed. In such cases, a single grab sample taken at mid- depth at the center of the channel is adequate to represent the entire cross-section.  Establishing Monitoring Stations in Rivers and Streams 9. When several locations along a stream reach are to be sampled, they should be strategically located: ▪At intervals based on time-of-water-travel, not distance; ▪At the same locations if possible, when the data to be collected will be compared to a previous study; ▪Whenever a marked physical change occurs in the stream channel; ▪To isolate major discharges, as well as major tributaries  Establishing Monitoring Stations in Rivers and Streams 10.There should be at least three sampling sites for each classified section of the river, but more monitoring stations may be established as necessary. If a very long stretch of the river has only one classification, at least three monitoring sites should be established; one each at the downstream, midstream and upstream sections or one monitoring station for every 5 kilometers may be designated. Samples may be taken at any accessible point representing each river section. Establishing Monitoring Stations in Rivers and Streams If monitoring stations have already been established by earlier studies or assessment activities, the same stations may be used for future studies if they could meet the objectives of monitoring. Establishing Monitoring Stations in Rivers and Streams After selecting the monitoring site, indicate its description. General description should include ✓name of water body ✓location (sitio, barangay, municipality, province), and ✓geographical coordinates (if GPS is used). Specific description (optional) describes how far the location is from the nearest bridge, tributary stream, or landmark. The description may include how far the sampling point is from the shore or bank. Sampling Point and Depth in Rivers and Streams In shallow rivers and streams (2.5 meters) depth integrated sample can better represent the river or stream water quality. If it is judged that saline or thermal stratification occurs, a minimum of two samples should be collected, one from the surface and another approximately 0.5 m from the bottom. Water samples may also be collected from the top, middle and bottom of the water column. Sampling Point and Depth in Rivers and Streams Where the river is wide and it is judged that there is a big difference in water quality between the left and right banks, samples can also be taken from the left and right banks, at a point representative of the water quality of the river. Refrain from taking samples at or near man-made structures (e.g.,dams, weirs) as the samples may not provide representative data because of unnatural flow patterns, unless necessary for specific studies.  SAMPLING AND FIELD TEST METHODS AND TOOLS Types of Samples: 1. Grab Sample A grab sample is a single water sample collected at one time from a single point1. A grab sample represents only the composition of the water at the time and place the sample was collected. a. A discrete grab sample-taken at specified sampling station, depth and time while a depth-integrated grab sample is collected over a pre-determined part of the entire depth of the water column at specified sampling station and time. b. Depth-integrated samples-may be obtained either by continuously sampling the total column of water from the surface to just above the sediment, or by discontinuously taking grab samples from representative depths and then mixing them together. The latter is particularly appropriate for deep waters.  SAMPLING AND FIELD TEST METHODS AND TOOLS Grab sampling is suitable when: ✓analyzing situations at specific sites (e.g. maximum density of coliform bacteria at a bathing beach) ✓analyzing for unstable parameters that have to be measured right away or on site, e.g., Dissolved Oxygen (DO), temperature, pH, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), salinity, etc. ✓a snapshot of water quality at a particular instant is desired ✓the characteristics of the waters are known to be relatively constant over time ✓collecting samples to be analyzed for parameters that could be adversely affected by compositing process.  SAMPLING AND FIELD TEST METHODS AND TOOLS 2. Composite Sample The Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSDW) of 2007 defines composite sample as a series of individual grab samples taken at different times from the same sampling point and mixed together. A composite sample may also be a number of grab samples of equal or weighted volumes mixed in one container. a. Fixed Volume Composite Sample. In a fixed volume composite, both the time interval and the size of sample remain constant. This is used when the flow rate of the water does not vary more than 15% of the average flow. b. Time Composite Sample. This is collected by mixing samples of equal volume collected at regular time interval.  SAMPLING AND FIELD TEST METHODS AND TOOLS c. Flow-Proportioned Composite Sample. The volume of sample collected is a proportion of the flow volume. A flow-proportioned sample can be collected by keeping the time interval constant and varying the sample volume with the changing water flow. d. Depth-Integrated Composite Sample. This is collected in pre-determined depths of the water column in equal sample volumes and mixed in one container. Composite sampling is suitable when: ✓assessing the total concentration of a substance or pollutant in water (e.g. total phosphorus potentially available for phytoplankton growth) or the population of an organism (e.g. the size of a bacterial population). ✓the variables to be assessed are unevenly distributed. Sources of Error The major sources of error are measurement error, sample handling error, and natural variability. 1. Measurement error results because none of the methods (field kits, field instruments, or laboratory analysis) provide perfect water quality measurements. Measurement error can not be eliminated but can be reduced by instrument calibration, proper training, and equipment maintenance. Another source of measurement error is the method's detection limit. As chemical concentration approaches zero accurate measurements are more difficult to obtain. If the concentration can not be detected by the method, it does not mean that the chemical is not present in the water. Most likely the concentration is less than the detection limit. The result should be reported as the detection limit with a less-than symbol (for example, lead concentration is