**2.5 Urban infrastructure**

*Lagoon Environments Around the World - A Scientific Perspective*

**2.4 Traditional environmental problems in the LRF**

tion with regard to the effects of drainage on the water body [7].

Urban growth, particularly informal settlements, have aggravated the problem of organic matter being dragged to the Lagoon, which, owing to a lack of investment in sanitary sewage systems in the last 30 years, has led to a very serious situa-

Traditionally, both the LRF and its surroundings have been densely populated in recent decades, and this urbanization has been accompanied by several harmful environmental effects, such as those arising from numerous landfills and silting that have sharply reduced its water features. According to Soares et al. [1], at the beginning of the 1970s, there occurred a spate of particularly aggressive property speculation in the district surrounding the Lagoon, which had experienced landfills since 1808 and lost almost a half of its original area. Despite the fact that Municipal Decree 130/1975 had stipulated the boundaries of the surface area of the water features, it was only finally protected definitively by Decree 9.396/1990.

Another serious impact, which is still prevalent, is closely bound up with the continuous discharges of sanitary effluent into its waters. This is generally caused by illegal sewerage networks for the rainwater drainage system that pours into the Lagoon and the affluent rivers and canals [15]. For this reason, the quality of the water of LRF greatly deteriorated in the period 1970–2000, as a result of the installation of drainage pipes, through the water supply system, as well as through contact with the tributaries of the rivers that contained a considerable polluting load when they reached the entry of the floodgates of the General Garzon Canal [6, 16].

For several years, the situation was aggravated by the presence of two craters at the bottom of the Lagoon: one between the Caicaras and Flamengo Clubs and the other in front of Cantagalo. These depressions arose from the withdrawal of material for landfills and led to the accumulation of a good deal of organic matter in anaerobic decomposition, where it produced toxic gases such as sulfidic ores and methane. It was found that the pit that was less deep (Caicaras) was completely filled with silt sediment at one part of the bed of the Lagoon. This discovery was made in the period preceding the Olympic Games of 2016, when an attempt was made to attain a minimum depth of 3 m in the whole region used for the competition. With regard to the deepest pit (Cantagalo), there is no information about its current depth, because no bathymetry was employed after these proceedings. Mello [17] states that the filling of the pits could be regarded as a positive effect of the silting mentioned above, since it could operate as an anaerobic biodigester and lead

to an increase of the area of water circulation (albeit on a small scale).

The first studies on the stagnation of the water and the mortality of fish in the LRF were reported in 1877 by the Baron of Lavradio and in 1880 by the Baron of Teffe. According to a survey carried out by Andreata [18], there are about 60 species of fish in the LRF and, hence, different degrees of sensitivity and tolerance to a wide range of factors such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and salinity.

The mortality rate of the fish recorded in the Lagoon can mainly be attributed to the following causes: a lack of renewal of the waters, algae toxicity, the disposal of wastewater, the stirring up of soil, and the anoxic sediment layer at the bottom [1]. It has been argued that the serious problem of the mortality rate of the fish in the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon was not caused by the installation of a sewage system but rather by the current stock of nutrients that can be found today which result from a combination of the older sewage systems *in natura* and the rainfall drainage and

*2.4.1 Evolution of fish mortality in the LRF*

**28**

The region is served by infrastructural facilities of a good standard which include telephones, electricity, a transport system and a road network (with streets and a cycle path), a water supply system, a public drainage system, and sanitary sewage system, as well as a completely separate system operated by CEDAE. Nonetheless, it is still possible to find polluted water being discharged into the Lagoon through a network of drains and through the rivers that flow into the LRF, even in periods of serious drought. Thus, it can be proven that there is still a link between the public sewerage system and the installation of drains in the streams themselves. These installations end up by reaching and polluting the water in the rivers and the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon itself. This is the case, for example, of the pollution witnessed in the Macacos Canal, which is connected to the river with the same name, as well as the Rainha and Cabeca rivers, before flowing into the Lagoon.

On the basis of the analysis conducted by INEA [6], the Macacos River was found to be in an excellent condition above the Forest of Tijuca but began to be extremely polluted after it had passed the Jardim Botânico. The analysis of its water revealed that at certain times the Macacos River records a high level of pollutants. Researchers and officials at the Jardim Botânico found that some animals had symptoms of diseases that could be linked to this pollution and contaminated water.

According to Bess D'Alcântara et al. [15], the occurrence of problems in the sanitary sewage system in the LRF basin resulted in large amounts of waste in the water feature of the Lagoon, which further impaired the indicative parameters of the quality of its waters.

#### *2.5.1 System of culverts for the LRF protection*

In recent years, the region has been the object of several projects and public measures aimed at reducing, or even eradicating, this problem of wastewater and hence improving the environmental conditions of the Lagoon. These include an

increase in inspection, carrying out awareness programs among the public and detecting and removing the illegal systems. The last measure taken of any great significance was the building of culverts around the Lagoon, which began in 2001.

Further expansionary work was undertaken by CEDAE em 2009 and included reforming and broadening the sanitary sewage system of the region and adapting it to several lift stations, as well as capturing the effluent discharged irregularly in the drainage system during the dry season. Together with the sewage from the separate system, the effluent captured is currently being canaled to the submarine pipeline of Ipanema.

The expansion of the culverts took place in the stretch of water from the shore of Leblon along the Jardim de Alah Canal and envisaged only three of the 12 points of the rainwater drains that were identified in the canal—the system came into operation in the second semester of 2016. The incorporation of these points took account of their recurrent signs of pollution from sanitary effluent. As a result of this intervention in the CJA, the final destination of the sewage which could perhaps be found in the culverts of rainwater began to be the submarine pipelines of Ipanema. However, there are still reports of the overflow of effluent in this stretch of water, which suggests that the operation of the CJA culvert is not suitable, even in periods of drought. The daily inspections carried out by the RIOAGUAS Foundation to detect signs of effluent through the chemical reagents of *Nessler* often recorded positive results for the presence of recent sewage in the samples at the key points of the drainage system.

Bess D'Alcântara et al*.* [15] state that the system of culverts is based on measures taken in periods of drought—these structures were of a provisional character and designed to collect sewage discharged irregularly in the rainfall drainage system as an emergency measure. The absence of any long-term planning and lack of financial investment to curb the use of illegal pipelines changed the "catchment hydrology in periods of drought" into definitive units. As a result, the initial benefits of their installation have been wiped out by the worsening of the operational situation and become one of the factors that add to the vulnerability of the system. Bess D'Alcântara et al. [15] also argue that the contribution made by rainfall to the system is a key factor and indicator of this vulnerability since it is not foreseen in the Brazilian standards for a sanitary sewage system of a completely separate type, as this is regarded as unsuitable and unauthorized. The contributions made by rainfall (mixed with the sewage system that involves illegal pipelines) are responsible for the main overflows from the culverts which have the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon as their final destination and further worsen the quality of its water feature.

#### **2.6 Institutional aspects and management**

The Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon covers a Permanent Protected Area that is regulated by the Organic Law of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, as stipulated in Article 463 of 2008, and has had its water feature protected since the 1990s.

The management of LRF involves a wide array of skills and public bodies in particular INEA, CEDAE, RIOAGUAS, and SMAC, the last two of which form a part of the structure of municipal governance. **Table 3** shows the main public bodies involved. The activities of the policymakers cover a number of areas such as projects, public works, inspection, maintenance, and the monitoring of the Lagoon and its surroundings.

Although the responsibility for managing the water bodies lies with the States, the National Policy of Hydraulic Resources, instituted in 1997, explicitly recommends the effective participation of the municipalities in the local environmental management, while the significant need for the planning and management of the

**31**

ing operations.

*Environmental Monitoring of Water Quality as a Planning and Management Tool: A Case…*

**Main attributions**

Construction, operation, and monitoring of the public rainwater systems; daily inspections and monitoring of the rainfall/runoff discharge points on the LRF; water level control and operation of the sluices of the Jardim de Allah (CJA) channel and of the Visconde de Albuquerque channel; fish productivity; survey and registration of fisheries production; dredging operations in the CJA; activation of the organs and agencies involved in the LRF management; monitoring and support in specific actions for

Monitoring and assessment of water quality of the LRF, and related rivers, channels, and canals of its watershed; assessment of protection monitoring parameters of the biota and aquatic communities; issuing of daily and weekly bulletins with information about the conditions of LRF; activation of the organs and agencies involved in the LRF management; monitoring and support in specific actions for

Ipanema and Leblon; environmental permitting of activities

potable water and sewer systems, including the system of

Removal of garbage, solid waste, and dead fish of the water

the environmental protection of the LRF

the environmental protection of the LRF

State of RJ Monitoring of balneability of the local beaches such as

State of RJ Construction, operation, and monitoring of the public

and enterprises

mirror of the LRF

culverts

waters is underlined by IBAMA [21, 22]. For this reason, the Cooperative Agreement between the State of Rio de Janeiro and the Town Council of the municipality of the city was celebrated in 2007. The purpose of this was to delegate to the Town Council the relative skills needed by the water bodies located within the municipality, as in the case of the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon and the rivers linked to it [23]. The current management of the system of the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon is the responsibility of the RIOAGUAS Foundation, in collaboration and partnership with other bodies. The monitoring of the quality of the water of the Lagoon and the affluent rivers and canals is undertaken by the Municipal Secretary for the Environment (SMAC), by means of the Coordinated Body of Environmental Monitoring (CMA) which, in 2011, revived and improved the program previously run by the State Institute of the Environment of Rio de Janeiro (INEA). The RIOAGUAS Foundation carries out daily inspections to detect signs of the *Nessler* effluent reagents, to manage the floodgates, and collect information about fishing and the water level, as well as the silting of the Jardim de Alah Canal through dredg-

*Main attributions of the public agencies which are involved in the environmental governance and management* 

On the basis of the results of this monitoring, it can be claimed that, in general terms, there has been a noticeable improvement in the environmental standards of the LRF, insofar as its water level has risen. However, the maintenance of the water level of the Lagoon has a direct influence on the flow of rainwater from the districts in the southern zone which are within its surroundings. Hence, there is always a

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88687*

**Level of governance**

Municipality of RJ

Municipality of RJ

Municipality of RJ

**Public agencies/ companies**

Municipal Secretary for the Environment

State Institute of the Environment (INEA)

State Water and Sewage Company (CEDAE)

**Table 3.**

*of the LRF.*

COMLURB (Municipal Urban Solid Waste Company)

(SMAC)

RIOAGUAS Foundation

*Environmental Monitoring of Water Quality as a Planning and Management Tool: A Case… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88687*


#### **Table 3.**

*Lagoon Environments Around the World - A Scientific Perspective*

of Ipanema.

the drainage system.

increase in inspection, carrying out awareness programs among the public and detecting and removing the illegal systems. The last measure taken of any great significance was the building of culverts around the Lagoon, which began in 2001. Further expansionary work was undertaken by CEDAE em 2009 and included reforming and broadening the sanitary sewage system of the region and adapting it to several lift stations, as well as capturing the effluent discharged irregularly in the drainage system during the dry season. Together with the sewage from the separate system, the effluent captured is currently being canaled to the submarine pipeline

The expansion of the culverts took place in the stretch of water from the shore of Leblon along the Jardim de Alah Canal and envisaged only three of the 12 points of the rainwater drains that were identified in the canal—the system came into operation in the second semester of 2016. The incorporation of these points took account of their recurrent signs of pollution from sanitary effluent. As a result of this intervention in the CJA, the final destination of the sewage which could perhaps be found in the culverts of rainwater began to be the submarine pipelines of Ipanema. However, there are still reports of the overflow of effluent in this stretch of water, which suggests that the operation of the CJA culvert is not suitable, even in periods of drought. The daily inspections carried out by the RIOAGUAS Foundation to detect signs of effluent through the chemical reagents of *Nessler* often recorded positive results for the presence of recent sewage in the samples at the key points of

Bess D'Alcântara et al*.* [15] state that the system of culverts is based on measures taken in periods of drought—these structures were of a provisional character and designed to collect sewage discharged irregularly in the rainfall drainage system as an emergency measure. The absence of any long-term planning and lack of financial investment to curb the use of illegal pipelines changed the "catchment hydrology in periods of drought" into definitive units. As a result, the initial benefits of their installation have been wiped out by the worsening of the operational situation and become one of the factors that add to the vulnerability of the system. Bess D'Alcântara et al. [15] also argue that the contribution made by rainfall to the system is a key factor and indicator of this vulnerability since it is not foreseen in the Brazilian standards for a sanitary sewage system of a completely separate type, as this is regarded as unsuitable and unauthorized. The contributions made by rainfall (mixed with the sewage system that involves illegal pipelines) are responsible for the main overflows from the culverts which have the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon as

their final destination and further worsen the quality of its water feature.

The Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon covers a Permanent Protected Area that is regulated by the Organic Law of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, as stipulated in

Although the responsibility for managing the water bodies lies with the States, the National Policy of Hydraulic Resources, instituted in 1997, explicitly recommends the effective participation of the municipalities in the local environmental management, while the significant need for the planning and management of the

Article 463 of 2008, and has had its water feature protected since the 1990s. The management of LRF involves a wide array of skills and public bodies in particular INEA, CEDAE, RIOAGUAS, and SMAC, the last two of which form a part of the structure of municipal governance. **Table 3** shows the main public bodies involved. The activities of the policymakers cover a number of areas such as projects, public works, inspection, maintenance, and the monitoring of the Lagoon and

**2.6 Institutional aspects and management**

**30**

its surroundings.

*Main attributions of the public agencies which are involved in the environmental governance and management of the LRF.*

waters is underlined by IBAMA [21, 22]. For this reason, the Cooperative Agreement between the State of Rio de Janeiro and the Town Council of the municipality of the city was celebrated in 2007. The purpose of this was to delegate to the Town Council the relative skills needed by the water bodies located within the municipality, as in the case of the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon and the rivers linked to it [23].

The current management of the system of the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon is the responsibility of the RIOAGUAS Foundation, in collaboration and partnership with other bodies. The monitoring of the quality of the water of the Lagoon and the affluent rivers and canals is undertaken by the Municipal Secretary for the Environment (SMAC), by means of the Coordinated Body of Environmental Monitoring (CMA) which, in 2011, revived and improved the program previously run by the State Institute of the Environment of Rio de Janeiro (INEA). The RIOAGUAS Foundation carries out daily inspections to detect signs of the *Nessler* effluent reagents, to manage the floodgates, and collect information about fishing and the water level, as well as the silting of the Jardim de Alah Canal through dredging operations.

On the basis of the results of this monitoring, it can be claimed that, in general terms, there has been a noticeable improvement in the environmental standards of the LRF, insofar as its water level has risen. However, the maintenance of the water level of the Lagoon has a direct influence on the flow of rainwater from the districts in the southern zone which are within its surroundings. Hence, there is always a

concern to maintain its level at around 0.40 m, as a preventive measure to reduce the risk of flooding (since events of this kind have been growing in intensity and frequency) which can cause serious damage and immense suffering to the public.

According to Ricci and Medeiros [24], the implementation of policies involving water resources in the basin of the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon is still in its early stages. This is because it requires an active attempt to design tools linked to planning, as well as to encourage the strengthening of bodies attached to the Management System of Water Resources. This particularly applies to the planning of activities and the gradual integration of the bodies that already play a role in this area. Ricci and Medeiros [24] argue that the structure created through the cooperative agreement between the State and municipality for the management of the hydrographic basin of the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon has become a proof of the considerable importance attached to the management of water resources, since it includes, as an essential prerequisite, the presence of the municipal authorities in the area of management and requires the structuring of municipal power from a techno-administrative, financial, and political standpoint.

These authors recommend that municipal power should be exercised in three fronts to ensure the underlying assumptions about the necessary policies for water resources are made effective: (1) a strengthening of the Management System of Water Resources, in particular, the Committee for the Integration of the Hydric Basin and the Advisory Board; (2) an effective and integrated application of the management tools for water resources; (3) the integration of policies for water resources and other strategic sectors of municipal planning such as sanitation and housing.

It is worth underlining that as a result of the recognized importance of the Lagoon among the people of Rio and the fact that it was a site for Olympic Games competitions in 2016, the LRF has ended up becoming one of the most closely inspected and monitored water bodies in the country.
