Circular No. 29/2011/TT-BTNMT on the technical procedures for monitoring surface water quality on land

CIRCULAR

TECHNICAL PROCEDURE FOR SURFACE WATER ENVIRONMENT MONITORING ON CONTINENTAL LAND

Pursuant to Decree No. 25/2008/NĐ-CP dated March 4, 2008 of the Government on the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, amended and supplemented by Decree No. 19/2010/NĐ-CP dated March 8, 2010 and Decree No. 89/2010/NĐ-CP dated August 16, 2010;

Pursuant to the Government Decree No. 102/2008/NĐ-CP, September 15, 2008, on the collection, management, exploitation, and utilization of data on natural resources and the environment;

Pursuant to Decision No. 16/2007/QĐ-TTg dated January 29, 2007 of the Prime Minister approving the overall planning of the national environmental monitoring network until 2020;

Considering the proposal of the General Director of the General Environmental Department, the Head of the Science and Technology Department, and the Head of the Legal Affairs Department,

c) Enterprises may be granted permission for no more than one block out of the total three dual-frequency blocks (FDD) B

PART I
GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Circular stipulates the technical procedures for surface water environment monitoring on continental land, including: determining the monitoring objectives, designing the monitoring program, and implementing the monitoring program.

Article 2. Applicability

1. This Circular applies to the following subjects:

a) Central and local state management agencies on the environment; environmental monitoring stations and centers belonging to the national environmental monitoring network and the local environmental monitoring network;

b) Organizations with functions and tasks related to environmental monitoring activities and environmental monitoring service activities to submit reports and data to central and local state management agencies on the environment;

2. This Circular does not apply to surface water environment monitoring on continental land using automatic and continuous devices.

Article 3. Principles for applying standards and methods

1. The application of referenced standards and methods must comply with the monitoring and analytical standards and methods prescribed in Chapter II of this Circular;

2. In cases where the monitoring and analytical standards and methods prescribed in Chapter II of this Circular are revised, supplemented, or replaced, the new standards and methods shall be applied.

Chapter II
TECHNICAL PROCEDURE FOR SURFACE WATER ENVIRONMENT MONITORING ON CONTINENTAL LAND

Article 4. Monitoring Objectives

The basic objectives in surface water environment monitoring on continental land are as follows:

1. Evaluating the current water quality status of the region and locality;

2. Assessing the compliance with permissible standards for the environment;

3. Assessing the temporal and spatial changes in water quality;

4. Early warning of water pollution incidents;

5. Meeting other requirements of national, regional, and local environmental management work.

Article 5. Designing the Monitoring Program

After design, the monitoring program must be approved or accepted in writing by the competent authority or the agency managing the monitoring program. The design of the specific surface water environment monitoring program on continental land is as follows:

1. Type of Monitoring

Based on the monitoring objectives, when designing the monitoring program, it is necessary to determine whether the type of monitoring is baseline environmental monitoring or impact environmental monitoring.

2. Monitoring Location and Position

a) Determining the location for surface water environment monitoring on continental land depends on the general objectives of the monitoring program and the specific conditions of each monitoring position;

b) Based on the requirements of the object to be monitored (rivers, streams, ponds, lakes...), establish a monitoring grid that is appropriate. The number of monitoring points must be decided annually by the competent authority;

c) The monitoring position needs to be selected stably, representing the water environment at the monitoring site, accurately determined by coordinates, and marked on the map.

3. Monitoring Parameters

Based on the objectives of the monitoring program, the type of water source, purpose of use, pollution sources, or receiving sources, monitor the following parameters:

a) On-site measurement and analysis parameters: pH, temperature (t^°), dissolved oxygen (DO), electrical conductivity (EC), turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS);

b) Other parameters: color, oxidation-reduction potential (Eh or ORP), suspended solids (TSS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrite (NO₂^-), nitrate (NO₃^-), ammonia (NH₄⁺), sulfate (SO₄^2-), phosphate (PO₄^3-), total nitrogen (T-N), total phosphorus (T-P), silicate (SiO₃^2-), total iron (Fe), chloride (Cl^-), fluoride (F^-), alkalinity, coliform, E. coli, fecal coliform, cyanide (CN^-), silicon dioxide (SiO₂), oil, grease, arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), sodium ions (Na⁺), potassium ions (K⁺), magnesium ions (Mg²⁺), calcium ions (Ca²⁺), phenol, surfactants, residues of plant protection chemicals, plankton, and bottom-dwelling organisms;

c) Depending on the equipment and human resources available for monitoring, some of the parameters specified in point b, Clause 3 of this Article may be measured quickly.

4. Monitoring Time and Frequency

a) The frequency of surface water environment monitoring on continental land is defined as follows:

- Baseline monitoring frequency: at least once per month;

- Impact monitoring frequency: at least once per quarter.

Depending on the requirements of environmental management work, monitoring objectives, characteristics of the water source, as well as economic and technical conditions, the appropriate monitoring frequency should be determined.

b) At positions affected by tidal regimes or significant changes in flow characteristics, the minimum number of surface water samples taken is twice a day to ensure a comprehensive assessment of the impact of tidal regimes.

5. Developing the Monitoring Plan

The monitoring plan is developed based on the monitoring program and includes the following contents:

a) List of personnel responsible for monitoring and assignment of tasks to each participating staff member;

b) List of organizations and individuals participating and cooperating in environmental monitoring (if any);

c) List of field monitoring equipment, tools, chemicals, and laboratory analysis equipment;

d) Safety equipment and measures to ensure safe labor during environmental monitoring activities;

d) Types of samples to be collected, sample volume, and sample storage time;

e) Laboratory analysis methods;

g) Budget for implementing environmental monitoring;

h) Plan to ensure quality and quality control in environmental monitoring.

Article 7. Implementation of the monitoring program

The organization and implementation of the monitoring program includes the following tasks:

1. Preparation work

Prior to conducting monitoring, the preparatory work must be carried out as follows:

a) Preparing documents, maps, diagrams, and general information about the area where samples will be taken;

b) Monitoring weather conditions and weather trends;

c) Preparing necessary equipment and tools; inspecting, cleaning, and calibrating sampling, measuring, and testing equipment and tools before going to the field;

d) Preparing chemicals, materials, and tools for sample collection and preservation;

đ) Preparing sample labels, forms, monitoring logs, and analysis records as prescribed;

e) Preparing means of support for sample collection and transportation activities;

g) Preparing safety equipment to ensure workplace safety;

h) Preparing funds and personnel for monitoring;

i) Preparing accommodation facilities for staff working for extended periods;

k) Preparing other related documents and forms;

2. Sample Collection, Measurement, and Analysis at the Site

a) Surface water sampling on land must follow one of the methods specified in Table 1 below:

Table 1. Methods for Collecting Surface Water Samples on Land at the Site

b) For measurements and analyses conducted on-site: follow the equipment manufacturer's user guides;

c) In the absence of national standards for surface water sampling methods listed in Table 1 of this Circular, international standards specified in Table 1 or other international standards with equivalent or higher accuracy may be applied;

d) Quality assurance and quality control procedures at the site shall be carried out according to guidelines issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment regarding quality assurance and quality control in environmental monitoring.

3. Sample Preservation and Transportation

Water samples collected must be preserved and stored according to the national standard TCVN 6663-3:2008 (equivalent to ISO 5667-3:2003 quality standard).

4. Laboratory Analysis

a) Based on the quality objectives of the data and laboratory conditions, the analysis of parameters must follow one of the methods specified in Table 2 below:

Table 2. Methods for Analyzing Parameters in the Laboratory

b) When there are no national standards to determine the values of the parameters specified in Table 2 of this Circular, international standards specified in Table 2 or other international standards with equivalent or higher accuracy may be applied;

c) Quality assurance and quality control procedures in the laboratory shall be carried out according to guidelines issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment regarding quality assurance and quality control in environmental monitoring.

5. Data Processing and Reporting

a) Data processing

- Data verification: comprehensive review of the rationality of environmental monitoring and analysis data based on the sample record (field sampling log, sample transfer record, on-site measurement and analysis results, laboratory analysis results,...), QC sample data (blank, duplicate, reference,...);

- Statistical processing: based on the number of samples and the content of the report, statistical processing may use different methods and software but must include minimum descriptive statistics (minimum value, maximum value, mean value, number of values exceeding standards...);

- Commenting on data: comments on the data must be based on processed, verified results, and relevant technical standards and regulations.

b) Reporting Results

After completing the monitoring program, the monitoring results report must be prepared and submitted to the competent state authorities as prescribed.

Chapter III
IMPLEMENTATION

Article 8. Implementation organization

1. The General Department of Environment shall be responsible for guiding, inspecting, and supervising the implementation of this Circular;

2. The Minister, Head of a ministry-level agency, Head of a government agency, Chairperson of People's Committees at all levels, and organizations and individuals concerned shall be responsible for implementing this Circular.

Article 9. Effective Date

1. This Circular takes effect from September 15, 2011.

2. During the implementation of this Circular, if there are difficulties or obstacles, it is recommended that agencies, organizations, and individuals reflect them to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (through the Environmental Administration) for timely consideration and resolution./.