San Roque Dam to be tapped for water supply
LINGAYEN–With ground water supply in the coastal towns of Pangasinan an emerging problem, a plan to tap raw water from the San Roque Dam for household use has been put forward by the provincial government.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved a resolution on January 18 authorizing Governor Amado Espino Jr. to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) for this proposed project.
Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan said studies show the coastal towns and cities of Pangasinan are in need of a new source for domestic water supply as aquifers are almost dry and seriously threatened with salinity intrusion, which is believed to be spawned by unregulated groundwater mining.
Under the proposed MOA, the NIA will allocate at least five cubic meters per second (cms) of raw water from the San Roque Multi-purpose Project (SRMP) that will pass through the soon to be constructed re-regulating pond facilities.
The raw water will be channeled to the Pangasinan Bulk Water Supply Project (BWSP), which will be built by the provincial government, then distributed to households along the coastal areas of the Lingayen Gulf where ground wells are now drying up and affected by salt-water intrusion.
The re-regulating pond, a component of the Agno River Integrated Irrigation Project, will serve as the impounding basin for water released from the SRMP while it is generating power for the Luzon Grid.
Construction of the re-regulating fund was already assured with the expected release this year of a P4.2 billion loan from the China Import and Export Bank.
Studies also support that a small percentage, estimated to be less than 10 percent of the water releases from the SRMP which is 95 cms, can be tapped to supply the potable water requirement of some 20 towns and cities.—LM
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