hydrospheres

• Bioindicators


  Organisms used to monitor the health of an ecosystem
• Dissolved Oxygen (DO)

  The amount of oxygen gas (O2) dissolved in water, crucial for the survival of aquatic organisms and the maintenance of healthy aquatic ecosystems
• Water


  A clear, colorless, odorless, and tasteless liquid, the most widespread substance in the environment of our planet
• Water Temperature


  Affects other parameters of water quality, such as dissolved oxygen and vulnerability of organisms to parasites, pollution, and disease
• High levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poison can cause severe illness and death
• Unsafe levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poison occur when biotoxin-producing algae bloom, increasing the amount of biotoxin-producing algae
• Good quality water sustains human life, wildlife, and marine life and is a key element of maintaining biodiversity
• All species and sizes of fish can live if the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water is in the range of 9.5 mg/L to 12 mg/L. Below 4.0 mg/L, no types of fish can survive
• Hydrosphere


  The combined mass of water found on, under, and over the surface of a planet
• Hydrologic cycle

  Water moves through the Earth in a cycle known as the hydrologic cycle
• Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) is the rapid growth of algae in an aquatic ecosystem, occurring when toxin-producing and sometimes non-toxin-producing algae grow excessively in a body of water
• Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) is a marine biotoxin produced by some species of microscopic algae, affecting the nervous system and paralyzing muscles
• pH scale


  pH illustrates how acidic or basic a body of water is according to a logarithmic scale, affected by factors like acid rain, automobile pollution, agricultural runoff, spills, and pollutants
• Turbidity and Total Suspended Solids (TSS)

  Turbidity is a measure of how clean water is and its clarity, depends on the concentration of Total Suspended Solids (TSS)
• Shellfish become contaminated with Paralytic Shellfish Poison by filter-feeding where biotoxins accumulate
• Types of shellfish affected by Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning include bivalve molluscan, gastropods, and crabs
• Nitrates


  Nitrogen provides essential nutrients for all living organisms, but large nitrate concentrations can increase algae growth and reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen
• Red Tide is a common term for Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
• Methods for Oil Spill Clean Up and Recovery

  • High or low-pressure hoses to spray oil off beaches
  • Containment booms – temporary barriers to reduce the possibility of polluting shorelines and other resources, and to help make recovery easier
  • Sorbents – large sponges that collect oil
  • Skimmers - boats that remove the oil from the surface
  • Solidifiers – hydrophobic polymers that adsorb and absorb
  • Dispersants – used to dissipate oil slicks
  • Vacuum and centrifuge - oil can be sucked up along with the water, and then a centrifuge can be used to separate the oil from the water
  • Bioremediation – using organisms to break down or remove oil
  • Controlled burning – reduces the amount of oil
• Red Tide can lead to Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning
• Water pollution caused 1.8 million deaths. Water-borne pathogens, such as some bacteria and viruses, can contaminate drinking water
• Unsafe levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poison are caused by biotoxin-producing algae usually in low numbers. When the algae "blooms," the amount of biotoxin-producing algae can increase
• Owners or operators of facilities that discharge wastewater are required to get a permit to discharge from the DENR or the Laguna Lake Development Authority
• Oil spills in bodies of water are generally much more damaging than those on land because


  • They can spread for hundreds of miles in a thin oil slick which can cover shores with a thin coating of oil
  • They can also affect wildlife that live in the vicinity (e.g., birds; whales and dolphins)
• Types of Water Pollution

  • Point source: pollutant that enters the water coming from a single place
  • Dispersed or non-point source pollutant is a pollutant that comes from many places, all at once or from a broad, or from an unconfined area from which pollutants enter a body of water
• Causes of Oil Spills

  • The discharge of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment due to anthropogenic activity
  • The term is usually common to marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters, but spills may also occur on land
• Molluscan

  • Gastropods
  • Crabs
• Philippine Clean Water Act (2004) aims to protect the country’s water bodies from pollution from land-based sources such as industries, commercial establishments, agriculture, and community/household activities
• Water pollution is the introduction of harmful substances such as chemicals or microorganisms into a body of water, degrading its water quality and affecting the environment
• How will discharges of wastewater be controlled?

  All owners or operators of facilities that discharge wastewater are required to get a permit to discharge from the DENR or the Laguna Lake Development Authority
• How will the discharge of wastewater be discouraged?

  1. Anyone discharging wastewater into a water body will have to pay a wastewater charge

  2. Fiscal and non-fiscal incentives will also be given to LGUs, water districts, enterprise, private entities and individuals who develop and undertake outstanding and innovative projects in water quality management
• What are the prohibited acts under R.A. 9275?

  1. Discharging or depositing any water pollutant to the water body, or such which will impede natural flow in the water body

  2. Discharging, injecting or allowing to enter into the soil, anything that would pollute groundwater

  3. Operating facilities that discharge regulated water pollutants without the valid required permits

  4. Disposal of potentially infectious medical waste into sea by vessels

  5. Unauthorized transport or dumping into waters of sewage sludge or solid waste

  6. Transport, dumping or discharge of prohibited chemicals, substances or pollutants listed under Toxic Chemicals, Hazardous and Nuclear
• What are the fines and penalties imposed on polluters?

  1. Anyone who commits prohibited acts will be fined for every day of violation, the amount of not less than PhP 10,000 but not more than PhP 200,000

  2. Failure to undertake clean-up operations willfully shall be punished by imprisonment of not less
• How will domestic wastewater be addressed?

  1. DPWH will prepare a national program on sewage and septage management

  2. LGUs are to provide the land including road right of the way for the construction of sewage and/or septage treatment facilities

  3. DOH will formulate guidelines and standards for the collection, treatment, disposal of sewage, as well as establishment and operation of centralized sewage treatment system

  4. MWSS and other agencies mandated to provide water supply and sewerage facilities
• What are the prohibited acts under R.A. 9275?

  1. Discharging regulated water pollutants without the valid required discharge permit pursuant to this Act

  2. Noncompliance of the LGU with the Water Quality Framework and Management Area Action Plan

  3. Refusal to allow entry, inspection and monitoring as well as access to reports and records by the DENR in accordance with this Act

  4. Refusal or failure to submit reports and/or designate pollution control officers whenever required by the DENR in accordance with this Act

  5. Directly using booster pumps in the distribution system or tampering with the water supply in such a way to alter or impair the water quality

  6. Operate facilities that discharge or allow to seep, willfully or through grave negligence, prohibited chemicals, substances, or pollutants listed under R.A. No. 6969, into water bodies

  7. Undertake activities or development and expansion of projects, or operating wastewater treatment/sewerage facilities in violation of P.D.1586 and its IRR
• Under the Philippine Clean Water Act (2004), the implementation and enforcement responsibilities are as follows:
• Agencies responsible for implementing the Philippine Clean Water Act (2004)

  • DENR is the primary government agency responsible for implementation and enforcement
  • Philippine Coast Guard enforces water quality standards in marine waters
  • Department of Public Works and Highways provides sewerage and sanitation facilities
  • Department of Agriculture formulates guidelines for wastewater reuse in agriculture
  • Department of Health sets, revises, and enforces drinking water quality standards
  • Department of Science and Technology evaluates pollution prevention technologies
  • DEPED, CHED, DILG, and the Philippine Information Agency implement public education programs
• Fines and penalties under Philippine Clean Water Act (2004)

  • Fine of not less than Php 500,000 but not more than Php 3,000,000 for gross violation, imposed for each day of violation
  • Criminal charges may also be filed
• Under the Philippine Clean Water Act (2004), fines and penalties imposed on polluters include:
• Fines and penalties under NE Clean Water Act (2004)

  • Fined not less than PhP 10,000 but not more than PhP 200,000 for every day of violation
  • Imprisonment of not less than two years and not more than four years for failure to undertake clean-up operations willfully
  • Imprisonment of not less than 6 years and 1 day and not more than 12 years, and a fine of Php 500,000/day for failure or refusal to clean up resulting in serious injury, loss of life, or irreversible water contamination