A river health status model using water quality, macroinvertebrates, and land use for Niyugan River, Cabuyao City, Laguna, Philippines

Date

2012

Abstract

A River Health Status Model was created for Niyugan River. The model consists of two component parameters : response and pressure. The response parameters, water quality (represented by 15 indicators : pH, Cadmiun, Lead, Chl a, TSS, surfactants, air and water temperature difference, DO, Conductivity, BODs, Phosphorus, TKN, OG, Total coliform, and Fecal Coliform) and Ephemeroptera-Plecoptera-Trichoptera (EPT) proportion measure the current state of the river. Pressure parameters, land use, infrastructure, and riparian vegetation proportion represent the factors that can aggravate or worsen the current river condition. Water quality indicator values were determined using on-site measurements and water samples brought to MTEC Laboratories. Benthic macroinvertebrates were collected from all the eight sampling sites. The land use, infrastructure, and riparian vegetatio proportions were derived from a map created using Arcmap 10. For efficient parameter input and sensitivity analysis, a calculator-like interface was developed using Stella modeling software. The river health score resulted to a value of 37.07, which corresponds to a "poor" river health. Sensitivity analyses showed that the river health score is influenced at a greater extent, by the combination of water quality indicators rather than the number of water quality indicators included in the model. River health score was also found to be influenced by the magnitude of separate indicators within a parameter category. Therefore, the model should be evaluated using data sets from other rivers to further investigate its sensitivity. This model can be used to establish the health of other river tributaries of Laguna Lake. It can also serve as a basis for developing more dynamic river health models for the Philippines.

Document Type

Master Thesis

Degree

Master of Science in Environmental Science

College

School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM)

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