West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) has been taking active steps to manage the impact on its water production of the current algal bloom episode in Laguna Lake—the primary raw water source of the company’s Putatan Water Treatment Plants (PWTP).
Among the immediate solutions being implemented are the dosing of treatment chemicals to control algal build-up, utilization of a silt curtain to minimize algae intrusion into Maynilad’s treatment facilities, and immediate clean-up of the dissolved air flotation treatment process of the PWTPs.
Meanwhile, as a medium and long-term intervention to address the raw water quality issues in Laguna Lake, Maynilad will be dredging the portion of the lake encompassed by its silt curtain, and installing several units of ultrasonic algae control equipment around the PWTPs.
It can be recalled that Maynilad’s water production was also affected by an algal bloom in Laguna Lake that happened in June 2019, when the maximum algal biocount reached 13,230 counts/mL. While the company has since invested in additional treatment technology to address such algae proliferation, it was still constrained to reduce production this time around, as the algal biocount in June 2022 reached an unprecedented peak of 72,722 counts/mL.
Algal blooms arise from shifts in the nutrient balance of the lake water resulting from chemical/ industrial/ agricultural wastes/leachates.
Though Maynilad has been pouring investments into treatment technology upgrades and interventions, its water production will continue to be affected unless more drastic measures are taken to protect Laguna Lake. This is why the company has been working closely with the lake’s various stakeholders; it seeks to ensure the lake’s sustainability as a source for drinking water.
