Integrated Lake Basin Management (ILBM): obstacles and opportunities for wastewater

management in the lake Atitlán basin

Juan Skinner Alvarado, MScMember of the Scientific Committee

AGENDA:

1. Integrated Lake Basin Management - ILBM

2. Background of wastewater management infrastructure

development in the lake Atitlán basin – lessons learned

3. Obstacles in wastewater management at the lake Atitlán Basin

4. Opportunities in wastewater management for lake Atitlán.

1. Integrated Lake Basin Management

ILBM

Manejo Integrado de Cuencas de Lagos

LBMILBMI – Lake Basin Management InitiativeUna revisión global sobre el manejo de cuencas de lagos

Analiza e identifica las lecciones aprendidas de la experiencia de manejo

de 28 lagos del mundo.

An

ális

is d

ela

sam

en

azas

A definition of Integrated Lake Basin Management (ILBM) is coined with the LBMI

Integrated Lake Basin Management (ILBM) is an

approach to achieve the sustainable management of lakes and

reservoirs through gradual, continuous and comprehensive

improvements in the governance of the basin, including

efforts to integrate institutional responsibilities, public

policies, participation of interest groups, scientific and

traditional knowledge, technological options, and financing

prospects and their restrictions.

La gobernanza es una noción que busca -antes que imponer un modelo-

describir una transformación sistémica compleja, que se produce a distintos

niveles -de lo local a lo mundial- y en distintos sectores -público, privado y

civil-.(Fuente: wikipedia)

Un marco teórico para el análisis y planificación de la gestión de lagos

The 6 lake basin governance pillars

ILEC Scicom

Leve

l of Sust

aina

bilit

y

Time

Future

More Sustainable

1. Acknowledge the state of lake basin

2. Identify issues, needs and challenges

3. Seek ways to strengthen the governance pillars

Monitoring, Reconnaissance Survey, Inventory and Databases

Basic ILBM Platform

Analyze of issues, needs, and challenges regarding Six Governance Pillars

Integrate ways and means for meeting the challenges, andimplement the agreed actions

ILBM Platform Activities Supporting Activities

Describe the state of Lake Basin Management

Develop a Lake Brief

Use Annex B of the Lake Brief

Coordinate Sector

Activitiesand Conduct Stakeholder

Consultations

Database and Knowledgebase

of data and information

frommonitoring,

reconnaissance survey,

inventory development activities, and

experience and lessons learned

from other sources

The Lake Atitlán Basin

2. Background wastewater management

infrastructure development in the lake Atitlán basin

lessons learned

Traditional human waste disposal in a small farmers landscape of the lake Atitlán basin rural areas.

It has been sustainable due to its very short nutrient cycle with dry sanitation

Most urban homes in the lake basin don´t have access to sewer pipe networks and don´t have pipe networks in the household.

In more than 68% of homes in the basin, wastewater and human waste is disposed separately: 1. a Pila for all water use in the house, producing grey 2. water, and a dry-latrine producing no wastewater.

First sewage and treatment plants built by the EC -1995, 1997, 1999.

Self mobilization of local groups to build constructed wetlands.

Planta de tratamiento de aguas residuales provoca contaminaciónPor Noticias.com.gt - 4 agosto 2014Sololá, 04 de Agosto de 2014 (Cerigua/Alfonso Guárquez).- A pesar de que la municipalidad de Panajachel y el gobierno central inauguraron la Planta de Tratamiento de Aguas Residuales “Los Cebollales I”, ubicada en el barrio Jucanyá, el 19 de abril de 2013, que tuvo un costo de 15.3 millones de quetzales, desde hace más de 40 días los vecinos y vecinas del sector deben soportar los malos olores que emanan del lugar, así como la proliferación de mosquitos.

Planta de tratamiento de agua está sin usoLa planta de tratamiento de aguas servidas Los Cebollales, construida en el 2012 en la desembocadura del río San Francisco, Panajachel, Sololá, a un costo de Q16 millones, aún no funciona, debido a que hay fallas en el sistema eléctrico y nadie quiere hacerse responsable de las reparaciones.POR ÁNGEL JULAJUJ de PRENSA LIBRE31 de Enero de 2013 a las 00:00hLa planta fue entregada en septiembre del 2012, pero nunca ha funcionado por daños en el sistema de cables de la energía eléctrica, y sin ese servicio la infraestructura no puede operar, y mientras, el agua contaminada sigue cayendo en el Lago de Atitlán.

3. Obstacles to wastewater management in the Lake

Atitlán BasinAccording to the 6 pillars of lake basin governance

Servicio sanitario en el área rural en cuartiles de porcentaje de población indígena

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% 80.00%

Conectado a red de drenajes RURAL

Conectado a fosa séptica RURAL

Excusado lavable RURAL

Letrina o pozo ciego RURAL

Sin servicio sanitario RURAL

Hogares con Chorro de uso exclusivo RURAL

75-100% INDIGENA 50%-75% INDIGENA 25%-50 INDIGENA 0-25% INDIGENA

Latrine

59%No sanitary service

16%

Washable toilet2%

Septic tank

12%

Sewage network connection

11%

Type of sanitary equipment in the households of the lake Atitlán basin - 2002

Fuente: INE, 2003. Elaborado por J.Skinner

25% use water

75% homesNO water forsanitation

37,650 households in the basin in year2002

Name of Municipal area Location

Number

of

Houses

Sewage

network

connection Septic tank Latrine No service

1. Panajachel Lakeshore 2,302 1,382 558 278 59

2. Santa Catarina Palopó Lakeshore 505 10 131 324 35

3. San Antonio Palopó Lakeshore 2,081 23 169 1,619 160

4. San Lucas Tolimán Lakeshore 3,864 38 1,029 2,545 162

5. Santa Cruz La Laguna Lakeshore 780 8 28 613 128

6. San Marcos La Laguna Lakeshore 429 11 188 90 140

7. San Pablo La Laguna Lakeshore 1,135 10 44 292 788

8. San Juan La Laguna Lakeshore 1,487 149 6 988 312

9. San Pedro La Laguna Lakeshore 1,987 20 116 1,598 224

10.Santiago Atitlán Lakeshore 6,681 1,025 1,592 2,804 803

Total Lakeshore houses 21,251 2,676 3,861 11,151 2,811

% Lakeshore houses 57% 13% 18% 52% 13%

11. Sololá Upper basin 10,148 1,709 372 6,800 1,161

12. San José Chacayá Upper basin 428 22 37 328 38

13. Concepción Upper basin 606 75 1 325 204

14. San Andrés Semetabaj Upper basin 1,683 407 27 1,183 55

15. Santa Lucía Utatlán Upper basin 3,310 244 111 2,817 133

Total Basin houses 37,426 5,133 4,409 22,604 4,402

%Basin houses 100% 14% 13% 60% 13%

Table 3.1. Human waste disposal in the Lake Atitlán Basin

Elaborated by J. Skinner (Source: INE 2003, Censo de Población y Vivienda)

• No urban planning!

• Lack of viability needed to install sewage pipe networks

• The same applies to most urban settlements in the lake basin

Inserted Box 2.1 Typology of

citizen participation in public

issues.

Source: Washington Office for

Latin America (WOLA). The

Action Guide for Advocacy and

Citizen Participation. 2002

Lessons learned for the Integrated

Management of Lake Basin

Success depends to a large extent on the participation of

stakeholders (Stakeholders): the degradation of the

services provided by the lake ecosystem is the result of

unsustainable human interventions in the development

of its resources. Sustainability will be achieved when

the respective stakeholders fully understand and

recognize their role in relation to the problems.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Deforestation

Washing clothes in the lake

Destruction of litoral zone

Socialeconomic problems

Water level fluctuation

Urban quality problems

Increasing water pollution

Local opinion on threats to the lake

2005

Human conditions of the indigenous people in the basin

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Santa Cruz La Laguna

Santiago Atitlán

Concepción

San Pablo La Laguna

Santa Catarina Palopó

San Antonio Palopó

Sololá

Santa Lucía Utatlán

San Lucas Tolimán

San José Chacayá

San Marcos La Laguna

San Pedro La Laguna

San Andrés Semetabaj

San Juan La Laguna

Panajachel

Education

College level

Middle school

Iliterate

0% 50% 100%

Santa Cruz La Laguna

San Antonio Palopó

Concepción

San Pablo La Laguna

San Juan La Laguna

Santiago Atitlán

Santa Catarina Palopó

San Lucas Tolimán

Sololá

San José Chacayá

San Marcos La Laguna

Santa Lucía Utatlán

San Andrés Semetabaj

San Pedro La Laguna

Panajachelm

u

n

i

c

i

p

a

l

i

t

i

e

s

Economy In ExtremePoverty

Below PovertyLine

Definition of environmental justice

Environmental Justice is the fairtreatment and meaningful involvementof all people regardless of race, color,national origin, or income with respectto the development, implementation,and enforcement of environmentallaws, regulations, and policies.

(Source: http://www.epa.gov)

History of Environmental Policy at the lake Atitlán Basin

• Customary law of Maya cultures

• Species specific conservation: ducks and reeds

• Parks and Protected Areas

• Lake Basin Authority: Local to centralized

• Wastewater discharge regulations

1960

Anne La Bastille with

Podilymbus gigas duck

Pato Poc

Introduced the concept of

EXTINCTION OF SPECIESIn Guatemalan societies

Species Specific Approach to Conservation

National Park 1958, Protected area 1997

Non-indigenous Stakeholders Environmental Policy

Forest and Indigenous people in Guatemala

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

0 -25%

25 - 50%

50 - 75%

75 -100%

%

Forest cover according to percentage of indigenous people in 332 municipalities

%ForestSource: INE 2003, INAB 2002

Introduction of invasive species in spite of being declared a National Park (Black Bass 1958), and a Protected Area 1997Asian Carp, 1998)

Fotos: J. Skinner

Tropical Rainstorms: 1998, 2005, 2010, 2011Lake response with cyanobacteria blooms

Amatitlán como referencia:

1970 – 0.070 mg/L PT Salas y Basterrechea2009 - 0.237 mg L Rejmánkova

Water total phosphorous concentration

at Lake Atitlán (1950- 2009)

0

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

1950 1970 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Year

P t

ota

l (m

g/L

)Sources of data:

1950 E. Deevey

1970 C. Weiss

1994 a 2009 J. Skinner

Government response to cyanobacteria blooms: stricter standards of pollution by wastewater in the lake basin.

New legislation, developed with no previous research of the problem, left most of the wastewater treatment plants in the basin against the law.

Lessons learned for the Integrated

Management of Lake Basins

3. Technological interventions can be effective: Technologies can

have very positive effects on the lake environment, as long as

the root causes of the problems and the sustainability of the

solutions are adequately addressed.

Provision of WWT according to population density and GNI per capita

Decision making processes degrading from decentralized to centralized

AMSCLAE before and after

Lessons learned for the Integrated Management of Lake Basin

Lake Basin Management is a continuous process, not an isolated project: Management interventions in a lake basin usually start in isolation, often for reasons that are not related to the lake. Over time, however, the need for integration of projects and programs may increase.

THE END

4. Opportunities in wastewater management

for lake Atitlán.

Opportunity starts at home!

La lista de tecnologías de tratamiento de aguas residuales:

• Sistemas de lodos activados• Filtro Construido de Suelo• Proceso avanzado de

oxidación• Laguna aireada• Sistema de tratamiento

aeróbico• Clarificador Anaeróbica• Digestión anaerobia• Filtro anaerobio• Laguna anaeróbica• Filtro de bolas• Biorreactor• Bioretention• Biorotor

•Filtrado de carbono activado •Pozo ciego o sumidero•El cloro de desinfección•Difusores de burbuja gruesa•Humedales construidos o artificiales•Destilación•Electrocoagulación•Electrólisis•Laguna facultativa•Difusores de burbuja fina•Tanque Imhoff•Living machines•Lagunas de estabilización•Filtro percolador

Sustainability aspectsFive major groups of sustainability aspects are recognized

as central, namely:

• Health

• Environment and Resource use and Reuse

• Economy

• Socio-culture and Users

• Technology and Function(Urban Water 2002)

SOURCE SEPARATING VS COMBINED CENTRALIZED SYSTEMS

CONCLUSIONS

The solution to pollution:Reduce, reduce, and reduce. Sewerage pipes increase the volume of wastewater.

Source separationWhy mix all the sources of pollution from a home into one single pipe, and then have to invest resources in separating them at the other end of the pipe. Most households in the basin practice source separation now.

Develop and innovate separate treatment for each of the pollutants and specialized final disposal to recycle.

Don´t stop working towards a shared vision and action!

Aclaración importante sobre sistemas individuales

¡El mejor sistema de saneamiento es el que no usa

agua!Por ejemplo:

• Letrinas• Inodoros secos o composteros• Directo a la siembra

No tiene lógica potabilizar el agua para luego utilizarla para el transporte de heces fecales

FIN

• Ahorre agua

• Limpie el agua que usa

• Goce de sanidad he higiene y de una relación harmoniosa con el agua

en la naturaleza