AMSA Internship Report - Save the Lake

THE AUTHORITY FOR THE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF THE LAKE
AMATITLÁN BASIN
Division of Control, Environmental Quality and Management of Lakes
AMSA Internship Report – Save the Lake
AIESEC Guatemala
Prepared by:
Andrew Menezes, Rebecca Blass, Katharina Burholt & Thomas Thenard
July 29, 2016

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Table of Contents
List of Tables and Figures............................................................................................................... 3
Overview......................................................................................................................................... 4
Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 4
Political Background................................................................................................................... 6
The PLANDEAMAT.................................................................................................................. 7
Goals and Objectives ...................................................................................................................... 8
AMSA Goals and Objectives...................................................................................................... 8
PLANDEAMAT Goals and Objectives.................................................................................... 10
Current Situation........................................................................................................................... 12
Education and Awareness ......................................................................................................... 12
Wastewater Treatment............................................................................................................... 14
Evaluation ..................................................................................................................................... 17
Reflections and Recommendations............................................................................................... 19
Andrew Menezes....................................................................................................................... 19
Biological Monitoring ........................................................................................................... 20
Vetiver for Bank Stabilization and the Prevention of Sedimentation ................................... 22
Rebecca Blass............................................................................................................................ 24
Katharina Burholt...................................................................................................................... 25
Thomas Thenard........................................................................................................................ 27
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 28
References..................................................................................................................................... 29

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List of Tables and Figures
Figure 1: Lake Amatitlán................................................................................................................ 5
Figure 2: Proliferation of Microcystins in Lake Amatitlán ............................................................ 5
Figure 3: The PLANDEAMAT ...................................................................................................... 7
Figure 4: Investigating the Villabolos River................................................................................... 9
Figure 5: Water Quality Monitoring of the Villabolos River ......................................................... 9
Figure 6: Educational Workshop for ENCA at the La Carra Wastewater Treatment Plant ......... 13
Figure 7: Schematic Diagram of La Carra Wastewater Treatment Plant ..................................... 13
Figure 8: Anaerobic Treatment Tanks at La Carra Wastewater Treatment Plant......................... 15
Figure 9: Hyacinth Biofiltration System at La Carra Wastewater Treatment Plant ..................... 15
Figure 10: Overview of the Mezquital Wastewater Treatment Plant ........................................... 16
Figure 11: Aerobic Treatment using a Pumice Filter at the Mezquital Wastewater Treatment
Plant .............................................................................................................................................. 16
Figure 12: Principals of the Reference Condition Approach........................................................ 22
Figure 13: The Use of Vetiver for Sedimentation Prevention...................................................... 23

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Overview
The following report was completed by four university students over a six week
volunteer placement with The Authority for the Sustainable Management of the Lake Amatitlán
Basin (AMSA). The university students were from Canada, France and Germany, and study
bioresource, mechanical, civil, and environmental engineering. These students participated in the
placement through the AIESEC international volunteer program. AIESEC is an international,
non-government, not-for-profit organization that provides young people with leadership
development and cross-cultural global volunteer experiences aimed at empowering youth to
create positive impacts on the environment ad society. Through a partnership between AIESEC
Guatemala and AMSA, the students worked together on the project titled Save the Lake.
This report aims to provide an assessment of AMSA to learn more about the organization and
their goals, the work they conduct, and their progress towards restoring Lake Amatitlán. This
will include a description of the current situation as well as an evaluation in light of this
situation. Given the nature of the goals of AMSA, and the educational background of the
students, the report will focus on the flowing divisions:
• Division of Control, Environmental Quality and Management of Lakes
• Division of Liquid Waste
• Division of Environmental Education and Public Awareness
The resultant information from the assessment, which includes both research and the
personal observations and experiences of the students, was used in order to provide personalized
reflections and recommendations for AMSA including ideas for supporting projects. It is hoped
that this information will assist AMSA in re-evaluating their priorities and establish short term
goals in order to help them achieve the goal of saving Lake Amatitlán.
Introduction
Located 28 km southwest of Guatemala City is one of Central America’s most polluted
lakes: Lake Amatitlán (Figure 1). Lake Amatitlán is a volcanic lake that is unique in the sense
that it has effectively been split into two separate lakes with different water quality
characteristics. The southwest portion of the lake exhibits the greatest depth and the longer
retention time, while the northeast portion is characterized by constant inflow and outflow via

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the Villalobos and Michatoya Rivers (ILEC, 2009). The lake receives its water from a largely
urbanized watershed that extends approximately 386 km2
that is home to the highest populated
metropolitan area and important industrial sectors (INCLAM, 2014). This concentration of
population and industrialization have exerted tremendous pressure on the natural systems of the
watershed causing severe alterations to its water resources. The main influent of the lake, the
Villalobos River, carriers a daily flow of approximately 437,500 m3
containing water
contaminated with industrial waste, fertilizers and untreated sewage (Calderon, 2011). This has
led to the excessive proliferation of cyanobacteria (i.e. microcystins) in the lake that is largely
inhospitable to humans and the aquatic ecosystem (Figure 2). The river also deposits close to
1,500,000 m3
of sediment each year as a result of high levels of erosion from deforestation,
mining and poor land-use practices, which has caused the lake to slowly loose volume (Reyna,
2009).
Figure 1: Lake Amatitlán Figure 2: Proliferation of Microcystins in Lake
Amatitlán
In an effort to restore the lake and its watershed, the National Government of Guatemala
established The Authority for the Sustainable Management of the Lake Amatitlán Basin
(AMSA). AMSA was created under Decree Number 64-96 of the Congress of Guatemala in the
year 1996 with the purpose to administer programs and projects to ensure a coherent policy to

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rehabilitate and persevere the water quality of Lake Amatitlán and the integrity of the
surrounding ecosystem. Projects initiated and implemented by AMSA mostly include activities
such as reforestation, environmental monitoring, and providing technical assistance and
education. The current administration within AMSA includes educators, engineers, biologists,
chemists, and more than 180 people who have been hired with the goal to improve the health of
the lake, and create awareness about the pollution and degradation occurring throughout the
watershed. However, results have been relatively insignificant despite the amount of effort
AMSA has put in over the past two decades. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) in the Villalobos
River, for example, have risen from approximately 40 mg/L in 2005 to over 245 mg/L in 2016
(Calderon, 2011; Cano 2016). Although some progress has been made, the majority of the
projects AMSA has taken on have only been partially successful due to a number of influential
factors, some of which will be identified in this report.
Political Background
According to the constitution, the water of Guatemala belongs to the Guatemalan people
(USACE, 2000). However, no comprehensive water policy exists to properly manage and
regulate water resources on a national scale (GWP, 2008). Although critical areas pertaining to
water resources management (such as effluent treatment), have attempted to be realized through
national laws, implementation and enforcement has been extremely difficult (OAS, 2005).
Numerous agencies have been established across Guatemala that are responsible for overseeing
water resources, but there is little coordination between them resulting in duplicated work and an
overall inefficient use of resources (USACE, 2000).
According to the Law of Development and Decentralization Councils, each municipality
within Guatemala must organize itself to plan its development which includes managing
resources and providing awareness and education to civil society (OAS, 2005).This is
accomplished through work performed by established government commissions and non-
governmental institutions. However, citizens within roles typically only have partial knowledge
of the laws, regulations, and best-practices required for the efficient and sustainable use of water
and other related resources and municipal public services (Orozco, 2008). Many municipalities
lack the necessary entities required for water resource governance (such as Municipal Planning
Offices or Justice for Municipal Matters), and the few municipalities that possess these
supporting entities often demonstrate weakness in the formulation of their development plan

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resulting in weak or no regulations (USACE, 2000). And this in turn creates operational and
administrative barriers.
As well, since government commissions and non-government institutions typically work
on water resource issues by sector depending on the use of the resource, any legal standards are
dispersed and may not applicable in practice due to lack of adequate enforcement. There are also
social and economic inequalities, and relatively little social participation in the majority of the
population in regards water resources which has contributed to further deterioration of the
environment (Orozco, 2008).The lack of laws and regulations for the efficient administration of
water resources, combined with weak governmental administration and the lack of awareness
among civil society regarding water and solid waste has allowed for the continued uncontrolled
abuse of rivers and lakes, which has caused pervasive water contamination throughout the
country (USACE, 2000).
The PLANDEAMAT
According to Article 6 under Decree Number 64-96, a supervisory committee must work
with AMSA that is aimed at advancing the implementation of projects related to the restoration
and protection of Lake Amatitlán and its tributary watersheds as defined within the
PLANDEAMAT. The PLANDEAMAT, or the Actualization
del Plan Maestro Integrado de la Cuenca del Lago Amatitlán,
is a consultancy project created by the consortium
NOVOTECNI – INYPSA in the year 2013 in order to define
new objectives and create a management plan to restore Lake
Amatitlán. AMSA was responsible for employing the
consortium and it is intended that all the municipalities which
reside in the Lake Amatitlán watershed basin would agree to
the plan and be responsible for its implementation with helpful
knowledge and technical advice provided by AMSA. The plan
covers six major categories including Natural Resources and
Environment, Hydrology and Hydraulics, Geology,
Infrastructure, Zoning, and Socioeconomics, which are dividedFigure 3: The PLANDEAMAT

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into several programs with different goals and objectives. A detailed action plan, which includes
an estimation of the time and funds required for the goals and objectives, is also included.
Goals and Objectives
As previously mentioned, AMSA is a government organization and is thus obligated to
reach a certain goal or set of objectives set by the Ministry of Planning and Programming of the
Presidency (SEGEPLAN). In the beginning of a new period of governance, SEGEPLAN
formulates a list of goals and objectives and it is required that certain government organizations,
such as AMSA, choose one of these goals and reach it over the next four years, or until the next
presidential election. It is the responsibility of the director of AMSA, who also changes every
four years, to choose the goal. The current director, who was appointed in February 2016, has
chosen to pursue the goal of increasing Guatemala’s resilience and adaptation to climate change
by 2019 (L. Ponce, personal communication, July 19, 2016). In addition to choosing the goal set
by SEGEPLAN, the director is also responsible for creating and setting objectives within AMSA
to ensure this goal is met, and these should be related to the management plan outlined in the
PLANDEAMAT.
AMSA Goals and Objectives
Over the course of 2016 to 2019, the main goal the director has set for the institution is to
reduce environmental degradation in Lake Amatitlán in regards to the incoming load of
pollutants, sediments and solid waste, by close to 50% (AMSA, 2016). To achieve this goal
several objectives have been set in various divisions that deal with topics such as water quality,
soil erosion, waste management, environmental education, and groundwater recharge. For
example, one objective under the topic of water quality is to determine the efficiency of
municipal operated treatment plants (AMSA, 2016). These objectives are outlined in Annual
Operative Plan documents which include an action plan as well as an estimation of the time and
fund required, however, these are not as detailed as the PLANDEAMAT.

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Figure 4: Investigating the Villabolos River Figure 5: Water Quality Monitoring of the
Villabolos River
Although the goal and subsequent objectives of AMSA are ultimately set by the director,
his decisions may be influenced by the representation of the different sectors involved in the use
of resources in Lake Amatitlán and its watershed basin. This group of representatives is outline
in Section 3 under Decree Number 64-96, and was established in order to maintain inter-agency
coordination and expedite actions and the application of rules and regulations. Every 15 days the
director and vice director of AMSA meet with each representative of the group which is
composed of the following institutions:
• The Department Governor of Guatemala (Chair Authority)
• The Vice President of the Republic
• The Military Commander of the South Region of Guatemala
• The Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance
• The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food
• The Environmental Office of the Attorney General
• The Environmental Prosecutors Office of the Public Ministry
• The Municipalities within the Territory of the Tax Cuenca
• The National Environment Commission (CONAMA)

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• The Committee of Agricultural Chambers, Commercial, Industrial and Financial
Associations (CACIF)
• Various Constituted Public and Private Institutions (whose purposes are directly or
indirectly related to the rescue and protection of Lake Amatitlán and its watershed basin)
If technical support is required than a specialist related to that topic will also sit in on the
meeting. The purpose of the meetings is to maintain inter-agency coordination and ensure the
representatives are aware and up-to-date about important problems and projects. Additional short
term objectives may also be set but these generally have a time span of two weeks (L. Ponce,
personal communication, July 19, 2016).
Division goals, which are generally separate from the goals set by the director of AMSA,
are also established by the directors of specific divisions. For example, within the division of
Control, Environmental Quality and Lakes is the goal to achieve ISO 17025 accreditation in
order to prove technical competence for laboratory testing and calibration. With this
accreditation the environmental laboratory could start to effectively compare results with other
international accredited laboratories and would demonstrate greater certainty in legal affairs
concerning municipal effluent regulations (SAI, 2012). Unfortunately, this is a long term goal as
achieving this accreditation will require substantial money as a transfer of procedures and
equipment upgrades are required, and this does not align with the goal and objectives of the
director of AMSA.
PLANDEAMAT Goals and Objectives
As previously mentioned, the PLANDEAMAT covers six major categories which are
divided into serval programs with different goals and objectives, however, for the purpose of this
report only those projects pertaining to environmental education, water quality management, and
wastewater management will be highlighted in this section. One of the larger goals of the
PLANDEAMAT is to educate the population and increase environmental awareness though
different programs, such as program PROG-AMB01/OAMB-05, and several projects within
these programs have been suggested and implemented in order to realize this goal. One of these
projects, PROY-AMB02, suggests there should be legislation comprehensive to all

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municipalities within the Lake Amatitlán watershed basin for the integrated management of
natural resources and the environment. Additionally, under program PROG-SOC01, is project
PROY-SEC03, which aims to integrate continuous environmental education into the school
curriculum of primary and diversified level students. There are also programs, such as PROG-
SOC06, with relatively short term projects which provide residents with the possibility to take
positive actions towards decreasing household pollutants to improve the condition of Lake
Amatitlán and its tributaries. For example, project PROY-SEC14 involves a communication
campaign on the proper management of water and sanitation, and project PROY-SEC15, which
is an incentive based program, encourages residents reduce, separate, and recycle household
waste.
In regards to directly improving the condition of Lake Amatitlán and its watershed basin,
specific programs have been highlighted concerning environmental monitoring and wastewater
treatment. In order to effectively manage the restoration of the lake and its tributaries, it is
necessary to monitor water quality and the levels of pollution found within them (Almendinger,
1998). This is the objective of program PROG-AMB03, which is aimed at reducing
contamination and improving environmental quality. This is to be achieved through a number of
projects such as project PROY-AMB10. This project suggests that a variety of different samples
be collected routinely from Lake Amatitlán and its drainage system in order to monitor industrial
effluents and pollution. This includes water quality samples, soil samples from productive areas,
quantification of vegetation and aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity, and bathymetry of the lake.
Arguably one of the most important programs is PROG-AGUA02, which deals with the
management of wastewater. This is important because much of the pollution present in the lake,
such as the proliferation of cyanobacteria, can be attributed to the uncontrolled flow of untreated
industrial waste and raw sewage into the tributary streams and rivers (Cottingham et al., 2015).
Thus, in order to prevent this pollution it is necessary to treat wastewater, and this is what
projects PROY-AGUA10 and PROY-AGUA11 are aimed at doing. Over a time span of 15
years, these projects include the planning, construction, operation and maintenance of municipal
wastewater treatment plants as well as storm and sanitary sewers. The program also suggests
incentives for the rehabilitation and expansion of current small treatment plants and calls for a
monitoring program to control plant effluents, which should be implemented immediately.

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Current Situation
Based on the literature and reports published by AMSA, the water quality of Lake
Amatitlán is poor (ILEC, 2009; Cano 2016). The lakes main influent, the Villalobos River, is
heavily contaminated with municipal and industrial waste which has caused the lake to become
eutrophic due to high concentrations of incoming nutrients. In order to effectively determine the
water quality of a hydrological system it is necessary to implement a routinized monitoring
program (Almendinger, 1998). In accordance to regulations and the current objectives of AMSA,
water quality monitoring and analysis of Lake Amatitlán and its tributaries is conducted monthly.
This monitoring seeks not only to determine water quality but to also identify sources of
pollution, which primarily consists of wastewater outfalls into the tributary streams and rivers.
Education and Awareness
Education and awareness are critical in any environmental restoration project (Farmer et
al., 2010). Current education initiatives at AMSA include formal and informal programs that
seek to engage a wide audience range. The programs primarily focus on spreading awareness
about the state of Lake Amatitlán, as well as teaching participants about the associated health and
environmental consequences of their daily activities concerning water resources. There is also an
emphasis on what actions participants can do to minimize these consequences and contribute
towards restoring the lake. The formal programs target youth through school-based initiatives
and primarily provide lectures and workshops. For example, Figure 6 illustrates an educational
workshop held by ASMA where a representative from AMSA provided a tour of a wastewater
treatment plant and taught students from the Central National School of Agriculture (ENCA)
about the importance of treating wastewater based on the associated environmental
consequences.

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Figure 6: Educational Workshop for ENCA at
the La Carra Wastewater Treatment Plant
Figure 7: Schematic Diagram of La Carra
Wastewater Treatment Plant
There are also interactive educational films and teacher training programs which educate
teachers on environmental issues and facilitate them to provide these lessons to their students.
The informal programs consist of a number of community led campaigns that target a wide
audience range on a number of related topics. These programs again focus on lectures and
workshops but there is more emphasis on the topics of waste disposal and sanitation compared to
the watershed concept, which is more elaborated in the formal programs (A. Martinez, personal
communication, July 15, 2016). AMSA is also working on a public relations campaign with
public television broadcast stations in order to spread awareness throughout the population about
the condition of Lake Amatitlán and why it is so polluted.
In terms of education for the business and industrial sectors, a new project called
Equipment Monitoring and Environmental Compliance (ESCA) has been created and will be
fully launched as of August 2016. This project consists of a team comprised of environmental
educators, lawyers, and liquid waste technicians who investigate and educate businesses and
industries for environmental control. The team is responsible for conducting facility
investigations and providing education. The educational component primarily focuses on worker
safety, controlled substances, and any associated environmental regulations, with an emphasis on
the consequences should those regulations not be followed. ESCA also spreads awareness on the

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state of Lake Amatitlán and provides information on what actions the company and its
employees can take to contribute to restoring it. Currently, ESCA is only engaged in the
municipality of Villa Neuva, and is only providing information to a handful of companies, but it
is anticipated that their work will be expanded to more municipalities in the future, and that the
team will have the ability to issue lawsuits to those businesses and industries disregarding
environmental regulations. It is also anticipated that the Public Ministry of Justice will have the
ability to intervene when ESCA is unable to perform the duties previously mentioned, and
provide consequences to those businesses and industries that refuse to allow ESCA to investigate
their sites (A. Martinez, personal communication, July 15, 2016).
Wastewater Treatment
To date, wastewater collection systems in the 14 municipalities within the Amatitlán
watershed basin are largely inefficient and not consistent (M. Cano, personal communication,
July 7, 2016). It is the responsibility of the municipality to construct waterworks for the
collection and treatment of wastewater, and the responsibility of AMSA to support the municipal
administration with technical assistance. There are currently more than 160 wastewater treatment
plants, 7 of which that were recently rehabilitated by AMSA, in the Amatitlán watershed basin.
However, less to 20% of these treatment plants are functioning, and as a result only about 10%
of all occurring wastewater is actually treated (AMSA, 2009), leaving the greater portion of
generated wastewater to flow directly into the tributary streams and rivers of Lake Amatitlán.
In the plants that are functioning, treatment of wastewater is accomplished with
mechanical and biological processes to reduce and/or remove sediments and nutrients. The
reduction of sediments occurs in sand traps or tanks such as an Imhoff Tank. The La Carra
treatment plant, which was recently rehabilitated by AMSA, is a facility that treats municipal
wastewater primarily using an anaerobic system (Figure 8). This system is able to reduce carbon
concentrations and reduce the quantity of sewage sludge that may be produced from an aerobic
system (Serna, 2009). However, this process results in the production of methane which is
known to contribute to climate change if the gas is not absorbed (EDF, n.d.). There is also an
aerobic system to treat water coming from the Plantanitos River (Figure 7), and this process
again reduces the concentration of carbon but is only utilized during the dry season. In order to
decrease nutrient concentrations, the semi-treated wastewater is then passed through a

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biofiltration system consisting of ponds filled with Hyacinth (Figure 9). Although Hyacinth is an
invasive species, and was responsible for complications in Lake Amatitlán due to uncontrolled
growth, it is an excellent filter of nutrients and is easily grown due to its invasive properties
(Sooknah, 2001). In order to maintain the quality of the treated water and protect it from
recontamination, the Hyacinth must be periodically removed from the ponds. This is because the
ability of Hyacinth to uptake nutrients decreases as the plant matures over time, and the plants
can become contaminated with other pollutants (Sooknah, 2001). Once the treated water has
passed through the biofiltration system it is discharged into the Plantanitos River. Although
considerable effort has been made by AMSA to rehabilitate the La Carra treatment plant, the
quality of treatment is still less than satisfactory.
Figure 8: Anaerobic Treatment Tanks at La
Carra Wastewater Treatment Plant
Figure 9: Hyacinth Biofiltration System at La
Carra Wastewater Treatment Plant
A different process of treatment is use at the Mezquital treatment plant (Figure 10). At
this facility, the treatment process is accomplished without the use of electricity and is achieved
using only the forces of gravity. After primary treatment, which consists of a sand trap and
clarification tanks, the semi-treated water passed through a filtration system composed of pumice
(Figure 11). The landscape characteristics of the Amatitlán watershed basin have been heavily
influenced by volcanic activity which has provided an abundance of this material making it
readily available. The semi-treated water is aerated as it falls onto the filter and passes through

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the porous material. The porosity of the pumice promotes the formation of microbial
communities, or biofilm, which consume organic matter and scarce nutrient to effectively reduce
concentrations of carbon that is exhibited through reductions in Biological Oxygen Demand
(BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) (Zhu & Bates, 2013). The majority of treated
nutrients and pollutants are accumulated in the sewage sludge, which is separated from the water
using mechanical processes. Once separated, the sludge is dried under the open sun in an effort
to decrease potential pathogens found within the sludge. If acceptable, the sludge is used as
fertilizer in reforestation projects, if not, it is transported to a landfill. The treated water is then
discharged into the Plantanitos River.
Figure 10: Overview of the Mezquital
Wastewater Treatment Plant
Figure 11: Aerobic Treatment using a Pumice
Filter at the Mezquital Wastewater Treatment
Plant
The Mezquital Treatment Plant Results Report for April 2016 illustrates the efficiency of
the facility by comparing the influent and effluent using various water quality parameters.
According to the report, the treatment plant is efficient in reducing the concentration of carbon
through reductions in BOD and COD, as well as reducing the concentration of Total Nitrogen.
However, Total Phosphorus, which is considered to be the reason for nutrient pollution issues in
many surface waterbodies (Cottingham et al., 2015), is not effectively treated. The plant is also

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only working at just 50% of its total capacity as the majority of the wastewater in the
surrounding area does not make it to the facility (M. Cano, personal communication, June 23,
2016).
In terms of overall wastewater management, AMSA has made an effort to recover and
increase the efficiency of seven wastewater treatment plants within the Amatitlán watershed
basin but this has been met with limited success as rehabilitation has been largely ineffective.
But even if rehabilitation was effective and wastewater reaching these plants was adequately
treated, it would still have little to no influence on the quality of Lake Amatitlán as the vast
majority of wastewater produced in the watershed basin still enters the streams and rivers
untreated. This then questions the rationale behind the rehabilitation of these treatment plants. Is
this really work that will effectively contribute to the objectives of AMSA? Or is AMSA
undertaking this work because the municipalities refuse to accept their responsibility to manage
and treat municipal wastewater?
Evaluation
Although educational efforts made have shown some success in educating the citizens of
the Lake Amatitlán watershed basin, it has been overall ineffective as there are still many factors
and barriers preventing wide spread success. Currently, both the formal and informal programs
are only directed at four municipalities within the watershed basin (i.e. Villa Neuva, Villa
Canalese, San Miguel Petapa, and Santa Catalina Pinula) and these occur primarily in low to
middle income neighbourhoods (A. Martinez, personal communication, July 15, 2016). This is
problematic as the greater percentage of the population within the watershed basin receives little
to no education through these programs on how their actions affect the state of the lake,
especially those in the high incomes neighbourhoods who have higher rates of consumption and
produce more wastewater and solid waste (Matsunaga & Themelis, 1999). Additionally, barriers
posed by the Ministry of Education have prevented AMSA from integrating environmental
educational programs into the private and public school curriculums. As a result schools are
required to ask for the lectures, workshops and training from AMSA, which may not be feasible
for the school or seen necessary by the school and/or teacher. The Eco-Film project has been
established in schools through partnerships with municipalities but again this is limited to the
four municipalities previously mentioned.

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Considering the strategic objectives of AMSA for 2016 to 2019, the lack of success in
regards to spreading awareness and educating residents of the Lake Amatitlán watershed basin
comes as no surprise. Although awareness and education efforts are included in the overall
objectives, they are small components containing broad descriptions and questionable evaluation
criteria. Based on the objectives set out in the PLANDEAMAT it appears that some progress is
being made in terms of creating communication campaigns surrounding the proper management
of water (i.e. project PROY-SEC14) but the majority of the programs and projects will need
improved coordination between AMSA, the municipalities, and different government institutions
such as the Ministry of Education.
In terms of wastewater management, all treatment plants within the Amatitlán watershed
basin would need to function adequately in order to reach the current overall strategic goal of
AMSA to reduce environmental degradation in Lake Amatitlán in regards to the incoming load
of pollutants, sediments, and solid waste, by close to 50%. As previously mentioned, there are
more than 160 wastewater treatment plants within the watershed basin with less than 20% of
them actually functioning. But even if all these treatment plants were functioning properly there
is still the issue of transporting wastewater to these facilities. In all municipalities within the
watershed basin there are inadequate waterworks to transport municipal wastewater to the
treatment plants, which is the main reason why only 10% of all occurring wastewater is actually
treated (AMSA 2009). Given these statistics, it is crucial that more wastewater reach the
wastewater reach functioning treatment plants, and this should be achieved by not only
increasing the municipal capacity to collect wastewater, but to also reduce the volume produced.
Considering the number of wastewater treatment plants within the Amatitlán watershed
basin, the number of treatment plants AMSA has rehabilitated, and the budget of AMSA in
contrast to the municipalities, it is obvious that AMSA does not have the capacity to rehabilitate
all the treatments plants in the watershed basin. As stated under Article 1 of Decree Number 64-
96, the purpose of AMSA is to rescue and protect Lake Amatitlán and its tributary watersheds.
Although wastewater management is a major component for realizing this, it is not the
responsibility of AMSA to manage or treat wastewater as this is the responsibility of the
municipalities. With this in mind, it appears that AMSA is not working as it was intended to.

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Although AMSA is working towards reaching its objectives, it is suspected that if they continue
to do the work of the municipalities that these objectives will not be met.
Reflections and Recommendations
The following reflections and recommendations were written by each student based on
their own individual research and personal experiences and observations.
Andrew Menezes
There are many factors preventing Lake Amatitlán being saved. Political barriers, both
within and outside AMSA are a big factor. No national water laws, inadequate enforcement, and
little coordination between government and non-government actors involved in managing water
resources have prevented significant progress from being made. Although politics plays a major
role, it appears the real underlying problem is lack of education and awareness, both within the
government and among public society. Citizens within government roles typically only have
partial knowledge of the laws, regulations and best-practices required for the efficient and
sustainable use of water resources, and public citizens have little or none. It is because of this
that many of the projects AMSA has taken on have only been partially successful, as the
majority of people who live within and surrounding the watershed do not have a sense of
responsibility towards taking care of the lake and its tributaries as people do not value these
resources for what they are or could be.
Although most people see the condition of the lake and its tributaries as a problem they
do not realize the magnitude that this problem is. Research indicates that there is inadequate
water to meet many of the water demands in Guatemala City and the surrounding municipalities
mainly due to low water availability from altitude, rainfall deficit, and polluted surface water
resources (USACE, 2000). As a result the majority of water is supplied from groundwater
resources which are being increasingly strained from growing water demands, unsustainable uses
of water resources, and inadequate groundwater recharge due to deforestation and poor land-use
practices (USACE, 2000). And it is predicted that these resources will be further stained in the
future under current climate change projects as it is anticipated that the region will receive even
less rainfall (USAID, 2013). At the region is developing and utilizing water, regional
groundwater resources will be depleted, and municipalities will have no other choice but to turn
to surface water sources to satisfy commercial and municipal demands. Unfortunately, as has

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been demonstrated in this report, these sources are extremely polluted and a danger to human
health. Although treatment technologies are available to adequately treat the surface water in the
region, such technologies are extremely expensive and it is likely only the regions elite would be
able to afford this service.
Given these circumstances, it is recommended that AMSA divert more effort towards
education and awareness. Education is critical as it is extremely important that citizens become
aware about the issues they face concerning the regions water resources, and actively participate
in restoring and protecting them. This will involve changing behaviours, increased education and
awareness, and demanding political action. It is also necessary that there is improved
coordination within the divisions of AMSA and between the different actors managing water
resources in the Amatitlán watershed basin. Ultimately, the future of the lake is in the hands of
the people who live in the watershed basin.
Biological Monitoring
Although AMSA has used biological indicators in determining water quality and
ecological health in the past, this type of sampling has been discontinued under the leadership of
the new director (M.F. Cano, personal communication, July 7, 2016). Traditional physical and
chemical monitoring still occurs but this type of monitoring is limited in determining the severity
of poor water quality and pollution as the impacts of these parameters cannot truly be measured
without determining the effects they have on biological organisms (Jones & Craig, 2014). With
this in mind, it is important that AMSA, specifically the Division of Control, Environmental
Quality and Management of Lakes, re-introduce biological monitoring, specifically of benthic
macroinvertebrates, as part of its surface water monitoring program. Additionally, biological
monitoring can be advantageous to traditional physical and chemical monitoring as these
indicators have the ability to measure cumulative stressors in the aquatic environment including
impacts from chemical interactions, contaminant pulses, or unknown chemicals that may not
otherwise be captured with routine chemical sampling (Reynoldson et al., 2012). As well, other
stressors such as the presence of exotic species, habitat degradation, and fluctuations in water
quantity may also be captured using biological indicators (ECCC, 2014). And although this type
of monitoring can be time consuming, it is generally far less expensive then chemical
monitoring.

21
It is also recommended that the AMSA and the division perform research in order to
develop a standardized program with protocols that employs the reference condition approach,
and includes the collection, assessment and distribution on information on the biological
condition of aquatic ecosystems (Figure 12). The reference condition approach is important as it
shows what can be expected to be found based on the natural characteristics of the ecosystem.
Previous reports published by AMSA only focused the presence of organisms and there was no
attempt to index this information or to make comparisons essentially making it useless. With the
reference condition approach, this type of monitoring could be used as a surveillance tool to
determine impacts before and after the completion of projects, such as the rehabilitation of
wastewater treatment plants, or to ensure that water quality is maintained (Phillips & Rainbow,
1993). It would also contribute to projects previously mentioned in the PLANDEAMAT (i.e.
project PROY-AMB10).

22
(Jones & Craig, 2004)
Figure 12: Principals of the Reference Condition Approach
Vetiver for Bank Stabilization and the Prevention of Sedimentation
The lack of funding and little knowledge of affordable green technologies has prevented
municipalities within the Amatitlán watershed basin from implementing meaningful changes in
the attitudes of the population towards the lake and its tributaries (Calderon, 2011). One feasible
green technology that has been a proven solution to many erosion and water quality problems
around the world is the controlled use of the non-invasive grass called Chrysopogon zizaniodes,
or Vetiver (Troung et al., 2006). In civil projects, this extremely hardy grass has been used for
slope stabilization and is only about 1/20th
the cost of traditional grey infrastructure, such as
concrete canvases. The roots system of Vetiver, which has been called "A Living Soil Nail" is
capable of growing up to 3.6 meters deep in one year and has the average tensile strength of 1/6th

23
of mild steel (Troung et al., 2006). The grass has also been used to extract nutrients from
wastewater and can tolerate high concentrations of heavy metals; acidic, alkaline and saline soils,
herbicides, and complete saturation or drought (Smeal et al., 2006). It is also a great pioneer
species and its intolerance to shade will allow other natural species of plants to colonize the slope
after it has established the appropriate soil structure for their survival (Troung et al., 2006).
These qualities make Vetiver ideal for slope stabilization and flash flood control as studies have
shown that Vetiver hedges planted on contours with vertical intervals of 0.5-1.5 meters can serve
as a barrier to hold back fine sediments and improve the vitality of barren slopes (Figure 13)
(Calderon, 2011).
(Calderon, 2011)
Figure 13: The Use of Vetiver for Sedimentation Prevention
Given the unique qualities of the Vetiver, and the extremely erodible and problematic
tributaries of the Lake Amatitlán watershed, it is recommended that AMSA, specifically the
Division of Forestry, Soil Conservation and Management, begin to incorporate the planting of
Vetiver in its reforestation programs in order to compliment and accelerate work in soil
conservation and erosion prevention. It is also recommended that AMSA encourage the use of
this green technology as a feasible alternative to traditional grey infrastructure to municipalities.

24
This could make more money available for more slopes to be stabilized within the municipality,
preventing greater rates of sedimentation in rivers and streams. It is also recommended that
Vetiver be used for resorting riparian vegetation along streams and rivers as this would serve to
not only reinforce the banks of the river or stream systems, but to also potentially absorb
nutrients from effluents of septic waste from neighbourhoods or people living illegally in gullies.
Rebecca Blass
For my first weekend in Guatemala I stayed in a host family. They celebrated the
birthday of their son and the guests were the family like the grandmother, aunts and cousins,
almost 15 people. The host mother prepared a traditional meal with beans, tomatoes, pork and
tortillas. The dinner was like a buffet and we all used one-way dishes made out of Styrofoam.
The next time I saw this kind of dishes was in the cafeteria from AMSA. They used them to
serve the dessert, the main meal was handed on ceramic plates. The one-way dishes encountered
my dinner at the places from Guatemalan almost every single time. We have also got a lot of
Styrofoam cups to drink every day out of them. During my experience at AMSA I was allowed
to get into the work AMSA is doing. I visited treatment plants, dumps, the lake Amatitlán and
the main inflow to the lake Amatitlán, the river Villalobos. And I saw the dishes like I have used
again on the way to work, in the river we visited to take samples for the water quality, in the lake
Amatitlán and also plenty of bottles, bags and dishes made out of polystyrene at the landfill.
I was wondering why in my experience it is comment to use this kind of one-way
products in the own home even if there might be the opportunity to use ceramic dishes. With this
there are a two questions coming in my mind. Is the use of one-way products just one example
for the nascence of many people in Guatemala? Or do they already know better but do not want
or do not know how to change their behaviour?
The first question is easier to answer – the people have to be educated. Who should educate
them? Everyone who knows better and is able to explain them that the producing of waste will
influence the quality of our life. The second question is even harder to answer because this
people already have the fortune of knowledge and do not use it. There might be many reasons
why they do not stop to produce polystyrene waste and I do not know them but what I know and
I share this knowledge with the educated people is, that one-way products contaminates our
environment, the place where our food is growing and the sources for our drinking water. If I

25
keep this background in mind I have to change my behaviour to protect our living environment.
If I do not start no one will. During my time in Guatemala I learned that it is about me and that
my mind, words and action have to be phrase. If my environmentally responsible behaviour is in
line, I am credible and just after that I am able to have an impact to other people. I would like to
give this learning as an advice to the people I have met. Furthermore I think it is important for an
organisation like AMSA, who wants to have an impact in the environmental responsible
behaviour of other people, that they have an identical behaviour on there one. For example I
think it would be proper if they try to relegate the one-way dishes completely out of the cafeteria
like they replaced the plates for the main meal. So on I think they should separate the waste in
organic, metal, plastic, paper and the rest. Even if they know that this may have no or just a small
impact, for me as a visitor it will complete the image and make the impression that they believe
in what they are working for. Just with that impression I am able to be influenced.
Katharina Burholt
In the end of our first week, while we were trying to find a project that fit to our studies
but could keep us together as a group, we realized that it was really hard to find the objectives of
AMSA. I got -the impression that everybody worked on their little projects without seeing
AMSA as a whole project. I even got the feeling that they do not know what the projects of the
other departments are. When people start to work here they only get a brief instruction to their
area they will work in but not to all departments and even not to the lake.
In my opinion it is very important for an organization like AMSA to be open with
information. People who work for the organization should identify themselves with it. And for
that it is necessary that they not only know what they have to do but also why they do what they
do and what the others do as well. And perhaps it will improve their work when they better
understand what happens with the lake. But also for people who do not work for AMSA and
want to inform themselves about the lake. On AMSA’s homepage there are no information about
the lake’s quality. When someone want these information he has to come to the office of AMSA.
One of AMSA’s objectives is education. I think that to give education is not only teaching but
also to make information reachable for people who want to educate on their own. AMSA has so
much information about the lake, it should be possible to make a brief summary on a webpage.

26
After a while we got to know AMSA’s objectives but in my opinion the director put them
so high. I think it will not be possible for example to improve the water quality of the Villalobos
about 50 percent in only four years like it is set in one objective. For that much more time is
needed. I understand that to put yourself high goals is good for the motivation but if you know
you won’t reach it is very frustrating. When I ask the people of AMSA if they believe in their
goals some start to laugh. With this I learned how important it is that a goal should be possible to
reach. A high goal is good for the motivation but only when people can believe in it. For me it is
better to set small goals that you can reach and show that change don’t have to be difficult than
to set huge goals that only will frustrate you.
Though AMSA has like every environmental organization not enough money that is
needed for all the projects that are necessary I saw money spent in through my eyes the wrong
projects. For example the treatment plant near San Cristobal that had last month its re-opening.
The area this treatment plant is built in is so endangered because of erosion that probably it
cannot work for more than 5 years. In my opinion the money could be better spent in long-term
projects like other treatment plants that have a longer expectancy or the improvement of one of
the working treatment plants. In the moment it is planned that the treated water of the treatment
plants is lead back to the river Villalobos. The strategy is called “dilution is the solution”. It may
not be bad if the water of the river were less contaminated and the industries wouldn’t still lead
their liquid waste in the river. But like the things are now it is a waste of energy and money to
clean the water that will be contaminated again immediately after it left the treatment plant. The
way like it is now the re-lead of the treated water will not improve the water quality significant.
Also it is frustrating for the people who work directly with the treatment plants that all their work
seems to have no impact. If the problem of the re-contamination is no solved it would probably
better when the treated water is used for other projects where water is needed for example the
reforestation.
To put it in a nutshell I learned that it is not only important to have information but also
to make it easily amenable to others, too. In another point I learned that objectives should be
clear defined and everybody who works for them should know them. The objectives should be
set in a realistic way and should improve the project also in a long-term.

27
Thomas Thenard
It has been five weeks that I work at AMSA and I learned a lot of things. During these
five weeks, I learned about the state of the lake Amatitlán and its area, about all the liquid and
solid wastes that enter in this one. I saw the side effect of the pollution with the high
concentration of nutrients and organic matters. I also saw the land field, full of people that
searched some things to sell among the trashes, in spite of the danger. I also learned that the
respect and the protection of the environment is something collective and individual. Each
person is responsible of his act, but to restore the ecosystem of the lake, everyone must do the
same effort. The restoration of the ecosystem is through small acts, such as the use of real dishes
and not the plastic ones, the waste separation, etc.
I learned a lot of things but I also saw many things that bothered me in AMSA. First, the
communication. Indeed, there is a real lack of communication within AMSA. For instance, to get
the currents goals of AMSA, we had to wait until the fifth week and some people did not know
these ones. This lack of communication slows down the project. For example, there is no
common project between the environmental department and the education department, which is
unfortunate for AMSA because the main cause of pollution come from the lack of education and
awareness of the population. Then, there is the goals that they fix. At the beginning of the
project, we were given a document that explained the initial goals of AMSA. But later, we found
out these goals were not followed, but rather that each director have their own goal, which is not
always possible. The goal of the current director of AMSA is a reduction of 50% of the Lake
Amatitlán and its area. It is not my expertise so I cannot really judge this goal but, from what I
heard, it would be really difficult to achieve this goal. Besides, I would like to speak a little about
the recycling of the plastic bottles (or something else). During the AIESEC seminar, we saw a
video of a mother with her two children searching plastic bottle amid all the trashes in a land
field. The video showed the dangerousness of this work and the fact that we cannot let people
work in such conditions. So, we must recycling. I just want to say that by putting in place the
recycling, some people, like the family we saw, will lose their job, even if it was put in place for
their security. It is obvious that Guatemala must recycle but people must be aware that some of
them will suffer of this. With this example, I want to explain that it will be difficult for the
government and AMSA to put in place the good reforms but it is necessary.

28
But the thing is that I am a bit disappointed by this project because I was not able to use
any of my knowledge as mechanical engineer. Still, it was a good project and I was really happy
to have been able to do it. I learned what it really means to work with peoples with others points
of view. Indeed, I was working with 3 other people, two environment engineers and a biologist.
Their way of thinking and working was different from mine, which disrupted me a little at the
beginning. But I think it was a good experience because I was able to learn from them.
Conclusion
The purpose of this report was to provide an assessment of AMSA to learn more about
the organization and their goals, the work they conduct, and their progress towards restoring
Lake Amatitlán. This included a description of the current situation as well as an evaluation in
light of this situation. Based on the research and personal observations and experiences of the
students, it would appear that progress towards restoring Lake Amatitlán has been slow and this
is because of a number of factors. It is hoped that the resultant information from the assessment,
along with the personal reflections and recommendations, will assist AMSA in re-evaluating
their priorities and establish short term goals in order to help them achieve the goal of saving
Lake Amatitlán.

29
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