Guidelines on the Installation and Use of Stationary Watershed Monitoring Instruments

DENR Administrative Order No. 2026-10

Subject: Guidelines on the Installation and Use of Stationary Watershed Monitoring Instruments

Signed: February 26, 2026 . Pages: 301 (with annexes and technical references)

Legal Basis

Pursuant to PD 705 as amended (Revised Forestry Code), EO 192 s. 1987 (Reorganization Act of the DENR), DAO 99-01 (Adoption of Watershed and Ecosystems Planning Framework), DAO 2005-23 (Adoption and Implementation of Collaborative Approach to Watershed Management), and DMC 2008-05 (Guidelines in the Preparation of Integrated Watershed Management Plans).

SECTION 1. Basic Policy

It is the policy of the State to protect and advance a balanced and healthful ecology and to promote sustainable management of natural resources through the installation of stationary watershed monitoring instruments that will generate real-time data and information relevant to the characterization of watershed condition for effective watershed management.

SECTION 2. Objectives

Ensure effective watershed management through real-time monitoring; adopt and operationalize the Watershed Ecosystem Management Information System (WEMIS) as a comprehensive long-term repository for watershed-related data.

SECTION 3. Scope and Coverage

Applicable to all watersheds in the country, covering installation and use of Stationary Watershed Monitoring Instruments (SWMI): Automated Weather Station (AWS), Automated Water Level Station (AWLS), and Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) Groundwater Sensor.

SECTION 4. Definition of Terms

• Automated Weather Station (AWS) - collects meteorological data (temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind speed, direction). Components include anemometer, pyranometer, rain gauge, barometer, soil moisture sensors, solar panels, and data loggers.
• Automated Water Level Station (AWLS) - collects water levels in rivers, streams, or other water bodies; tracks flood events, water availability, and flow characteristics. Consists of water level sensor and data logger.
• CTD Groundwater Sensor - collects groundwater characteristics including conductivity, temperature, and depth.
• Watershed - land area drained by a stream and its tributaries with a common surface runoff outlet. Categories: small (50,000 ha).
• WEMIS - web-based system designed as comprehensive long-term repository for watershed data including Watershed Characterization Report cum Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA), Integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP), and instrument data.
• Watershed Management - the process of guiding and organizing land and resource uses without adversely affecting soil, water, and other natural resources.

SECTION 5. Criteria and Requirements (excerpts)

DENR Regional Offices in coordination with concerned CENRO/Implementing PENRO ensure SWMI installations are based on guiding criteria, including Location: SWMI shall be located within identified watersheds and strategically positioned to provide representative data.

Reporting and Annexes

The Order requires periodic data reports including watershed profile, tabulated summary of downloaded data (manual and automated), visualizations/graphs, lists of all watersheds with geographic information, lists of instruments per watershed with status, maps of monitoring locations, and logs of data requests from DENR offices, LGUs, academe, NGOs, and others.

Source: User-uploaded official DENR PDF (DAO-2026-10, 301 pages with full annexes including instrument specifications and reporting templates).