SURFACE WATERS

Water collected on the ground as in streams, rivers, lakes, wetland or oceans are

surface waters.

WHAT ARE SURFACE WATERS?

LAKES RIVERS

OCEAN

STREAMS

WET LANDS

SURFACEWATERS

Basic Information on Surface-Water Quality

and Quantity

Surface-Water Quality Parameters

• Physical Parameters

Color, odor, temperature, solids (residues), turbidity, oil content, and grease content.

• Chemical Parameters

- Organic Content: BOD, COD, TOC, TOD

- Inorganic Content: salinity, hardness, pH, acidity, alkalinity, presence of substances.

• Biological Properties

- Bacteriological parameters: coliforms, fecal coliforms, specific pathogens, and viruses.

Two Main Sources of Water Pollutants

• Non-point Sources

• Point Sources

• SURFACE-WATER POLLUTION – excessive concentrations of particular substances for sufficient periods of time to cause identifiable effects.

Surface-Water Contaminants

• SUSPENDED SOLIDS- development of sludge deposits

• BIODEGRADABLE ORGANICS- depletion of natural oxygen resources and septic conditions

• PATHOGENS- communicable diseases

• NUTRIENTS- lead to growth of undesirable aquatic life

• PRIORITY POLLUTANTS- carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, teratogenicity, or high acute toxicity

• HEAVY METALS

- may have to be removed if the wastewater is to be reused

• DISSOLVED INORGANICS

- may have to be removed if the wastewater is to be reused

• Legislations Pertaining to Surface- Water Quality

Philippine Surface Water

• Surface freshwater resources are found in rivers and lakes. • There are 421 principal river basins in 119 proclaimed watersheds,

19 of which are identified as major river basins. • The largest lakes in the principal islands are the Laguna de Bay

Lake Lanao in Mindanao, which is a major source of hydropower. • The potential supply from surface water sources is estimated at

125,790 mcm per year.• Philippines ranks among the lowest in terms of freshwater

availability per capita at 1,907 cubic meters, compared with the average of 7,045 cubic meters worldwide and 3,668 cubic meters in Asia

• The National Water Resources Board ("NWRB") is the lead government agency in the Philippine water sector, conferred with policy-making, regulatory and quasi-judicial functions

Water Quality regulations (surface water)

• Standards are set for water quality management

• PD 1152 (1977)/DAO 34(1993)

CAUSES OF SURFACE WATER POLLUTION

Cause of Impairment Potential Source of Pollution

Sediment Construction and mining sites, disturbed land areas, streambank erosion and alterations, cultivated farmland

Nutrients Fertilizer on agricultural, residential, commercial and recreational lawns, animal wastes, effluent from aquaculture facilities, leaky sewers and septic tanks, atmospheric deposition, municipal wastewater

Toxic and Synthetic Chemicals

Pesticide applications, disinfectants (chlorine), automobile fluids, accidental spills, illegal dumping, urban stormwater runoff, industrial effluent

Oxygen-Consuming Substances

Wastewater effluent, organic matter, leaking sewers and septic tanks, animal waste

Fecal Coliform Bacteria Failing septic tanks, animal waste, runoff from livestock operations, wildlife, improperly disinfected wastewater effluent

Road Salt Applications to snow and ice

Oil and Grease Leaky automobiles, industrial areas, illegal dumping

Salinity Variations Hydrological modifications that influence the amount of fresh or saline waters entering a system

Thermal Impacts Heated landscape areas, runoff from impervious areas, tree removal along streams, wet detention ponds

Fecal Coliform Bacteria

• Fecal coliform bacteria are typically associated with theintestinal tract of warm-blooded animals. They arewidely used as an indicator of the potential presence ofwaterborne pathogenic, or disease-causing, bacteria andviruses (e.g., those which cause such diseases as typhoidfever, dysentery, and cholera) because they are easierand less costly to detect than the actual pathogens.

Toxic Substances

• any substance or combination of substances which afterdischarge and upon exposure, ingestion, inhalation, orassimilation into any organism, either directly from theenvironment or indirectly by ingestion through foodchains, has the potential to cause death, disease,behavioral abnormalities, cancer, genetic mutations,physiological malfunctions (including malfunctions orsuppression in reproduction or growth) or physicaldeformities in such organisms or their offspring or otheradverse health effects".

• Dioxin

• Metals

• Chlorine

• Ammonia (NH3)

Oxygen-Consuming Wastes

•Oxygen-consuming wastes include decomposingorganic matter or chemicals which reduce dissolvedoxygen in the water column through chemical reactionsor biological activity. Sources of dissolved oxygendepletion include wastewater treatment plant effluent,the decomposition of organic matter (such as leaves,dead plants and animals) and organic waste matter thatis washed or discharged into the water. Sewage fromhuman and household wastes is high in organic wastematter, as is waste from trout farms. Bacterialdecomposition can rapidly deplete dissolved oxygenlevels unless these wastes are adequately treated at awastewater treatment plant.

Nutrients

• The term nutrients in this document refers to two majorplant nutrients, phosphorus and nitrogen. These arecommon components of fertilizers, animal and humanwastes, vegetation, effluent from aquaculture facilitiesand some industrial processes. Nutrients in surfacewaters come from both point and nonpoint sources.Nutrients are beneficial to aquatic life in small amounts.However, in over-abundance and under favorableconditions, they can stimulate the occurrence of algalblooms and excessive plant growth in quiet waters suchas ponds, lakes, reservoirs, creeks, rivers and estuaries.

Effects of Salinity

• in salinity as little as 2-3 ppt above current levels havethe potential to drastically affect the abundance of manyspecies of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). Theoverall abundance and diversity of species of SAV havebeen key factors in maintaining the rich naturalresources . significant declines in SAV in the sound havecoincided with declines in the largemouth basspopulations and in wintering waterfowl populations thatdepend on it for food.

Sedimentation

• Sedimentation is the most widespread cause of nonpointsource pollution in the state and results from land-disturbing activities including agriculture, building andhighway construction, uncontrolled urban runoff whicherodes streambanks, mining and timber harvesting. Theconcentration of suspended sediments affects theavailability of light for photosynthesis, as well as theability of aquatic animals to see their prey.

Point Sources

• Point sources refers to discharges that enter surfacewaters through a pipe, ditch or other well-defined pointof discharge. Wastewater point source discharges includemunicipal (city and county) and industrial wastewatertreatment plants and small domestic wastewatertreatment systems that may serve schools, commercialoffices, residential subdivisions and individual homes.The primary pollutants associated with point sourcedischarges are oxygen-demanding wastes, nutrients,sediment, color and toxic substances including chlorine,ammonia and metals.

Non – Point Source

• Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution refers to runoff thatenters surface waters through stormwater, snowmelt oratmospheric deposition (e.g., acid rain). There are manytypes of land use activities that can serve as sources ofnonpoint source pollution including land development,construction, mining operations, crop production,animal feeding lots, timber harvesting, failing septicsystems, landfills, roads and parking lots.

• Agriculture

• Urban/Residential

• Onsite Wastewater Disposal

• Construction

• Timber Harvesting

• Mining

• Solid Waste Disposal

CONCLUSION

Clearly, the problems associated with water pollution have thecapabilities to disrupt life on our planet to a great extent. Congresshas passed laws to try to combat water pollution thus acknowledgingthe fact that water pollution is, indeed, a seriousissue. But thegovernment alone cannot solve the entire problem. It is ultimatelyup to us, to be informed, responsible and involved when it comes tothe problems we face with our water. We must become familiar withour local water resources and learn about ways for disposingharmful household wastes so they don?t end up in sewage treatmentplants that can?t handle them or landfills not designed to receivehazardous materials. In our yards, we must determine whetheradditional nutrients are needed before fertilizers are applied, andlook for alternatives where fertilizers might run off into surfacewaters. We have to preserve existing trees and plant new trees andshrubs to help prevent soil erosion and promote infiltration of waterinto the soil. Around our houses, we must keep litter, pet waste,leaves, and grass clippings out of gutters and storm drains.

These are just a few of the many ways in which we, as humans, havethe ability to combat water pollution. As we head into the 21stcentury, awareness and education will most assuredly continue to bethe two most important ways to prevent water pollution. If thesemeasures are not taken and water pollution continues, life on earthwill suffer severely. Global environmental collapse is not inevitable.But the developed world must work with the developing world toensure that new industrialized economies do not add to the world'senvironmental problems. Politicians must think of sustainabledevelopment rather than economic expansion. Conservationstrategies have to become more widely accepted, and people mustlearn that energy use can be dramatically diminished withoutsacrificing comfort. In short, with the technology that currentlyexists, the years of global environmental mistreatment can begin tobe reversed.

ITS A CHOICE