DAO No.

2016-08: Water
Quality Guidelines & General
Effluent Standard

DORREN G. TORRES
Chief, Water Permitting Section
 Water Quality Regulations
From
DAO 1990-34 & DAO 1990-35
To
DAO 2016-08: Water Quality
Guidelines and General Effluent
Standards of 2016
 Updates on Ambient and Effluent Water Quality standards and
parameters (including heavy metals and organic compounds)
 Updates on freshwater and marine/coastal water body
classifications
 Addition of standard parameters for water quality monitoring
 Addition effluent parameters for different sectors
Scope and Coverage
Water Quality Guidelines
 All water bodies (freshwater, marine waters and
groundwater)
 Classification of water bodies
 Trends
 Evaluation of stages of deterioration
 Enhancement of water quality
 Prevention, control and abatement of water
pollution
 Process of designating WQMA
Scope and Coverage
General Effluent Standard
 point sources of pollution that discharges
to receiving body of water or land
 regardless of volume and industry
category
Water Quality Guidelines

It refers to the level for a water constituent

or numerical values of physical, chemical,
biological and bacteriological parameters which
are used to classify water resources and their
use : Intended for water quality management.
 Classification of Water Body
(Inland Water)
Class AA
Public Water Supply Class I Class B
Recreational Water Class I

Class A
Public Water Supply Class II

Class C
Fishery Water
Recreational Water Class II
For agriculture, irrigation and
livestock watering

Class D
Navigable waters
 Classification of Water Body
(Marine and Coastal Water)
Class SA
Protected Waters Class SB
Fishery Water Class I Fishery Class II
Tourist Zones
Recreational Water Class I

Class SC
Fishery Class III
Recreational Water Class II
Marshy and/or mangrove areas
declared as fish and wildlife
sancturaries
Class SD
Navigable waters
Characteristics of Water
Determination of Organic and Biological
Pollutants
 Nutrients
PROMOTES THE OCCURRENCE OF
ALGAL BLOOM, INCREASE OF BOD
AND TSS, AND DEPLETION OF DO
 Table 3. Water Quality Guidelines for Primary Parameters
Water Body Classification

Parameter Unit AA A B C D

BOD mg/L 1 3 5 7 15
Chloride mg/L 250 250 250 350 400
Color TCU 5 50 50 75 150
Dissolved Oxygen mg/L 5 5 5 5 2
Fecal Coliform MPN/100mL <1.1 <1.1 100 200 400

Nitrate as NO3-N mg/L 7 7 7 7 15

pH 6.5-8.5 6.5-8.5 6.5-8.5 6.5-9.0 6.0-9.0

Phosphate mg/L <0.003 0.5 0.5 0.5 5

Temperature C 26-30 26-30 26-30 25-31 25-31
Total Suspended MPN/100 25 50 65 80 110
Solids mL
 Table 3. Water Quality Guidelines for Primary Parameters
Water Body Classification

Parameter Unit SA SB SC SD

BOD mg/L n/a n/a n/a n/a

Chloride mg/L n/a n/a n/a n/a
Color TCU 5 50 75 150
Dissolved Oxygen mg/L 6 6 5 2
Fecal Coliform MPN/100mL <1.1 100 200 400

Nitrate as NO3-N mg/L 10 10 10 15

pH 7.0-8.5 7.0-8.5 6.5-8.5 6.0-9.0

Phosphate mg/L 0.1 0.5 0.5 5

Temperature C 26-30 26-30 26-31 25-32
Total Suspended MPN/100mL 25 50 80 110
Solids
 Table 5. Water Quality Guidelines for Secondary
Parameters

Parameter Unit Water Body Classification

AA A B C D SA SB SC SD
Arsenic mg/L 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.04 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.04

Cadmium mg/L 0.003 0.003 0.003 0.005 0.01 0.003 0.003 0.005 0.01
Chromium mg/L 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.02 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.1

Lead mg/L 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.05 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.05 0.1
Mercury mg/L 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.002 0.004 0.001 0.001 0.002 0.004
 Table 7. Groundwater Quality Guidelines

Intended Beneficial Use Groundwater Quality

Guidelines

Source of Potable Water and Other Adopt Class A WQG (except BOD
Domestic use and Dissolved Oxygen

Bathing and Other Primary Contact Adopt Class B WQG (except BOD
Recreation and Dissolved Oxygen )

Irrigation, Fish Culture Livestock Adopt Class C WQG ( except for

Watering BOD, Dissolved Oxygen and Total
Suspended Solids)
General Effluent Standard
Limitation on quantities, rates and
or/concentrations of any combination of
physical, chemical or biological parameters of
effluent which a person or point source is
allowed to discharge into a body of water or
land: applicable to all industry categories and
defined according to the classification of the
receiving water body
What is effluent?
The Philippine CWA of 2004 defines effluent
as “discharges from known source which
are passed into a body of water or land or
wastewater flowing out of a manufacturing
plant, or industrial plant including domestic,
industrial or recreational facilities.”

Receiving
Effluent body
Wastewate
r Source

REGULATED UNDER DAO 2016-08

 Agriculture  Real Estate Activities
 Mining  Professionals, Scientific
 Manufacturing and Technical Activities
 Electricity, Gas, Steam  Education
and Air Conditioning  Human Health and Social
Supply Works
 Water Supply; Sewerage,  Other Service Activities
Waste Management and  Other Classifications
Remediation Activities (Public Markets,
 Wholesale and Retail Scrubbing of Flue Gases
Trade; Repair of Motor from Firing Systems,
Vehicles and Motorcycles Effluent from oil-water
 Transportation and separators of auxiliary
Storage facilities, Effluent from
 Accommodation and Food cooling ponds, cooling
Services towers, and similar
facilities)

NOTES: For sectors not included, EMB Central Office shall determine the significant
effluent parameters
Classification based on PSIC (Philippine Standard Industrial Classification)
Effluent Standards: Conventional and Other Pollutants in
Coastal and Inland Waters
Parameter Unit Inland Coastal
A B C D SB SC SD

BOD mg/L 20 30 50 120 30 100 120

COD mg/L 60 60 100 200 60 200 300

pH mg/L 6-9 6-9 6-9.5 5.5-9.5 6.5-9 6-9 5.5-9.5

Oil & Grease mg/L 5 5 5 15 5 10 15

TSS mg/L 70 85 100 150 70 100 150

Temperature °C 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
change

Total MPN/ 3000 3000 10000 15000 3000 10000 15000

Coliform mL
Fecal MPN/ 4 200 400 800 200 400 800
Coliform mL
Effluent Standards: Conventional and Other Pollutants in
Coastal and Inland Waters
Parameter Unit Inland Coastal
A B C D SB SC SD

Ammonia as mg/L 0.5 0.5 0.5 7.5 0.5 0.5 7.5

NH3-N
Chloride mg/L 350 350 450 500 n/a n/a n/a
Cyanide as mg/L 0.14 0.14 0.2 0.4 0.04 0.2 0.4
Free
Cyanide
Fluoride mg/L 2 2 2 4 3 3 6
Nitrate as mg/L 14 14 14 30 20 20 30
NO3-N
Phosphate mg/L 1 1 1 10 1 1 10
Sulfate mg/L 500 500 550 1000 500 550 1000

Surfactants mg/L 2 3 15 30 3 15 30
(MBAS)
 Effluent Standards: Heavy Metals
Inland Waters Coastal Waters
Parameter Unit
A B C D SB SC SD

ARSENIC mg/L 0.02 0.02 0.04 0.08 0.02 0.04 0.08

BARIUM mg/L 1.5 1.5 6 8 1.5 2 8
CADMIUM mg/L 0.006 0.006 0.01 0.02 0.006 0.01 0.02
CHROMIUM as mg/L 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.04 0.1 0.1 0.2
Hexavalent Cr (Cr6++)

COPPER as mg/L 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.08 0.04 0.04 0.08

dissolved Cu

IRON mg/L 5 5 7.5 35 7.5 7.5 35

LEAD mg/L 0.02 0.02 0.1 0.2 0.02 0.1 0.2
MANGANESE mg/L 2 2 2 20 4 4 40
MERCURY mg/L 0.002 0.002 0.004 0.008 0.002 0.004 0.008
NICKEL mg/L 0.1 0.2 1 5 0.2 0.3 1.5
ZINC mg/L 4 4 4 8 0.1 1.5 3
 DAO 2016-08 Discharging
untreated/
Discharging on inadequately
Class AA and Class treated effluent
SA water bodies and/or without a
pollution
control/wastewater
Discharging that
treatment facility.
would cause the
receiving waterbody
to fall below the
Operating beyond
standard water
the capacities of
quality.
the wastewater
Constructing treatment facility
facilities that
dilutes the Using submarine
effluent outfall
Thank you!!!

visit our web site:

www.denr.gov.ph
www.emb.gov.ph