Integrated Lake Basin Management (ILBM): obstacles and opportunities for wastewater management in the lake Atitlán basin

Juan Skinner Alvarado, MSc Member 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 Initiative Una 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. Análisis de las amenazas 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) The 6 lake basin governance pillars Un marco teórico para el análisis y planificación de la gestión de lagos

ILEC Scicom Level of Sustainability Sustainable More 1. state of lake basin Acknowledge the 2. and and challenges Identify issues, needs Time 3. governance pillars strengthen the Seek ways to Inventory Databasesand ReconnaissanceSurvey, Monitoring, Future Basic ILBM Platform

ILBM Platform Activities Supporting Activities

Describe the state of Lake Database and Develop a Knowledgebase Basin Management Lake Brief of data and information from monitoring, Analyze of issues, needs, and Use Annex B of the Lake Brief reconnaissance challenges regarding Six survey, Governance Pillars inventory Coordinate development Sector activities, and Activities experience and Integrate ways and means for and Conduct lessons learned meeting the challenges, and Stakeholder from other implement the agreed actions Consultations 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 contaminación Por Noticias.com.gt - 4 agosto 2014 Sololá, 04 de Agosto de 2014 (Cerigua/Alfonso Guárquez).- A pesar de que la municipalidad de 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 uso La 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 LIBRE 31 de Enero de 2013 a las 00:00h La 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 Basin

According to the 6 pillars of lake basin governance

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

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

Hogares con Chorro de uso exclusivo RURAL

Sin servicio sanitario RURAL

Letrina o pozo ciego RURAL

Excusado lavable RURAL

Conectado a fosa séptica RURAL

Conectado a red de drenajes RURAL

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% 80.00% Type of sanitary equipment in the households of the lake Atitlán basin - 2002 Fuente: INE, 2003. Elaborado por J.Skinner

37,650 Sewage network 25% use water households in connection the basin in year 11% 2002

Septic tank 12% Washable toilet 2% Latrine No sanitary service 59% 16% 75% homes NO water for sanitation

Table 3.1. Human waste disposal in the Lake Atitlán Basin Number Sewage of network Name of Municipal area Location Houses 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. Lakeshore 780 8 28 613 128 6. Lakeshore 429 11 188 90 140 7. Lakeshore 1,135 10 44 292 788 8. Lakeshore 1,487 149 6 988 312 9. 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% 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. Local opinion on threats to the lake

Increasing water pollution

Urban quality problems

Water level fluctuation

Socialeconomic problems

Destruction of litoral zone

Washing clothes in the lake

Deforestation

2005 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Human conditions of the indigenous people in the basin Economy In Extreme Education Poverty Panajachel Panajachel m College level Below Poverty u San Pedro La Laguna San Juan La Laguna Line n San Andrés Semetabaj San Andrés Semetabaj Middle school i Santa Lucía Utatlán San Pedro La Laguna c San Marcos La Laguna San Marcos La Laguna Iliterate i p San José Chacayá San José Chacayá a Sololá San Lucas Tolimán l San Lucas Tolimán Santa Lucía Utatlán i Santa Catarina Palopó Sololá t Santiago Atitlán San Antonio Palopó i San Juan La Laguna Santa Catarina Palopó e San Pablo La Laguna San Pablo La Laguna s Concepción Concepción San Antonio Palopó Santiago Atitlán Santa Cruz La Laguna Santa Cruz La Laguna

0% 50% 100% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% Definition of environmental justice

Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, 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 Species Specific Approach to Conservation

1960 Anne La Bastille with Podilymbus gigas duck Pato Poc

Introduced the concept of EXTINCTION OF SPECIES In Guatemalan societies Non-indigenous Stakeholders Environmental Policy

National Park 1958, Protected area 1997 Forest and Indigenous people in

Forest cover according to percentage of indigenous people in 332 municipalities

75 -100%

50 - 75%

25 - 50%

0 -25%

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

% Source: INE 2003, INAB 2002 %Forest Introduction of invasive species in spite of being declared a National Park (Black Bass 1958), and a Protected Area 1997Asian Carp, 1998) Tropical Rainstorms: 1998, 2005, 2010, 2011 Lake response with cyanobacteria blooms

Fotos: J. Skinner Sources of data: Water total phosphorousAmatitlán como referencia: concentration 1950 E. Deevey at Lake Atitlán (1950- 2009) 1970 C. Weiss 1970 – 0.070 mg/L PT Salas y Basterrechea 1994 a 2009 J. Skinner 2009 - 0.237 mg L Rejmánkova 0.06

0.05

0.04

0.03

0.02 P total (mg/L) total P 0.01

0 1950 1970 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Year 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 •Filtrado de carbono activado • Filtro Construido de Suelo •Pozo ciego o sumidero • Proceso avanzado de •El cloro de desinfección oxidación •Difusores de burbuja gruesa • Laguna aireada •Humedales construidos o • Sistema de tratamiento aeróbico artificiales • Clarificador Anaeróbica •Destilación • Digestión anaerobia •Electrocoagulación • Filtro anaerobio •Electrólisis • Laguna anaeróbica •Laguna facultativa • Filtro de bolas •Difusores de burbuja fina • Biorreactor •Tanque Imhoff • Bioretention •Living machines • Biorotor •Lagunas de estabilización •Filtro percolador SOURCE SEPARATING VS COMBINED CENTRALIZED SYSTEMS

Sustainability aspects Five 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)

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