Page:Urbiztondo Ordinance no. 1- 2022.pdf/27

 k. Watersheds of existing private or government-owned irrigation systems with service areas of more than ten (10) hectares shall also be recommended by the Municipality as critical watersheds in accordance with the provisions of RA 7586 or the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act of 1992.

l. Information and Education Campaign (IECs) on proper conservation of water, integrated pest management and adverse effects on water resources by the use and application of agriculture fertilizers, detergents and washing agents shall be the duty of the Municipal Information Office and Office of the Municipal Agriculturist.

m. Water Resource Guarantee Fund shall be established in the municipality. Funds for this shall come from the permits and fees levied on the use of all water resources in the municipality outside of the fees required by the NWRB. Sixty percent (60%) of the guarantee fund shall accrue to the municipality while the remaining forty percent (40%) shall accrue to the barangay where the project is located. Coordinates of the water resources shall be used in defining its location and not the coverage of the water resources project.

Sec. 5. Storage, Water impounding/Reservoirs and Weirs. The municipality recognizes that storage, water impounding/reservoirs and weirs projects improve water supply for irrigation and households, provide power, control floods and reduce fossil-fuel depletion and the environmental effect of fossil fuel burning. To minimize their adverse effects, the following shall be observed in the planning, design, construction and operation of these projects:

a. Design of investment programs for supplying water or energy should consider demand management as well as supply options such as conservation of water or energy efficiency improvements and system integration.

b. Multiple uses of proposed storage, water impounding/reservoirs and weirs shall be encouraged; communal access shall be promoted.

c. Vector control, environmental modifications, education of residents around the reservoirs shall form as components of the proposed storage, water impounding/reservoirs and weirs projects.

d. Suitability of water quality for drinking, irrigation, fisheries or other uses both within reservoirs and downstream shall be addressed. This shall include saline intrusions, water retention time (i.e. flow/volume), loss of flushing, increased nutrients in reservoir, pollution, raising or contamination of water table and salinization.

e. Multiple-level outlets design in any proposed storage, water impounding/reservoirs and weirs shall be encouraged to avoid the discharge of anaerobic water. Likewise, conversion of forest to timber before reservoir filling shall be advocated to reduce project contribution to greenhouse gases.

f. Floating weeds (e.g. water hyacinth) and water lettuce should be eliminated in reservoirs; use of weeds for compost, biogas or fodder should be encouraged.

g. Downstream water releases should be properly managed by partially replicating natural flooding regimes to minimize changes in downstream hydrology which ultimately impair ecosystems dependent on seasonal flooding, including areas that may be important for fisheries (e.g. flood plains, lagoons, marshes, mangroves) or for traditional flood recession agriculture.

Sec. 6. Establishment of a Water Resources Trust Fund. There is hereby created a Municipal Water Resources Trust Fund for the sole purpose of supporting programs and projects for the rehabilitation of water production outside NIPAS areas. The Trust Fund, which shall comprise all amounts denominated as “share of national wealth” from the operation of water utilities by national government agencies and instrumentalities, shall be managed and administered by the Mayor upon the recommendation of the multi-sectoral Water Resources Advisory