Effects of Land Use and Land Cover and Climate Variability on the Bacterial Processes in Pandurucan River using Soil and Water Assessment Tool

Water quality management requires fundamental knowledge of the dynamic processes affecting the quality of water for human consumption. Due to diverse river basin processes and characteristics, quantifying the impacts of land management on water quality become a tedious activity and the use of prediction tools is powerful for water managers. This study employed the Soil and Water Assessment tool to evaluate the impacts of existing land use, climate pattern, and soil type on the water quality of the Pandurucan River in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. Based on the input data on the sources of E. coli concentration and the hydrological characteristics of the river, the prediction of the fate and transport of E. coli becomes possible. The sensitive analysis showed that the SCS Curve number is the most sensitive parameter affecting the stream flow and bacteria partition coefficient and temperature were the most important parameters affecting the concentration of E. coli in the catchment. It was observed that during the high stream flow and high precipitation, less E. coli were predicted. This was attributed to the dynamics of the stream flow that makes the E. coli soluble. The NSE, R2 and PBIAS and showed good model performances and consistency of the predicted values. The model developed provided an opportunity for water managers to describe the fate and transport of E. coli considering the stream flow and precipitation rates.