About Us

The water supply of the City of Catbalogan is handled and managed by the Catbalogan Water District (CWD), which was initially constructed in 1925 under the management of the local government. It was transferred to the National Waterworks and Sewerage Authority (NAWASA) upon its creation in 1965. In 1969, NAWASA was abolished and the Catbalogan municipal government took over the management.

A Sanguniang Bayan resolution No. 66 was approved in July 5, 1978 creating the Catbalogan Water District (CWD) based on the national policy, the P.D. 198 known as Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973 favoring local operation and control of water systems; authorizing the formation of local water districts and providing for the government and administration of such districts; chartering a national administration for facilitate improvement of local water utilities; granting said administration such powers as are necessary to optimize public service from water utility operations, and for other purposes. On December 7, 1979 the Local Water Utilities Administration awarded Conditional Certificate of Conformance No. 107 to the CWD.

The Catbalogan water supply is supplied from three waters sources, namely: a) Masacpasac sub-surface channel; b) Caramayon spring water; and c) surface water at Kulador. Masacpasac and surface water at Kulador are the main water source, and Caramayon is used when the water flow from Masacpasac and kulador is low and less than 10 liters per second.

Masacpasac was discovered by the American in 1945, located at Barangay Kawayan, Catbalogan City, at about 4.5 kilometers from the City proper of Catbalogan. It is a sub-surface channel with an approximate length of 50 meters, mean width of 8 m, and mean depth of 2.20 m. It has an approximate area of 185.2 square meters with an elevation of 155 m above sea level. The estimated flow of Masacpasac water source taken at the distribution site is 20 liters per second for dry season to 40 liters per second for wet season. During April and May, the observed dry season, Masacpasac water source maintains an average depth 1.32 meters.

The water supply source in 1979 was from Masacpasac spring with simple water facilities, namely: spring intake box, two surface water intakes, a 440 cubic meter ground reservoir (constructed during the American era) not currently used, rapid and slow sand filter including a 100 cu.m. backwash tank, about 9.66 km main transmission pipeline and about 8.5 km distribution pipelines.

The Kulador Treatment Plant of Catbalogan Water District is located 2.7 kilometers from Barangay San Andres of Catbalogan, Samar, or 110 48' 44.4" N and 240 54' 10.3" E.

The plant receives water from the Antiao River through a spillway which is 16 meters wide and 1 meter tall. The trapped water goes into a sedimentation box that limits sediments. It has a size of 2.1 meters x 1.8 meters x 2.0 meters. After the sedimentation process, the water goes directly to the Rapid sand filter, which is 2.5 meters x 5 meters x 3.5 meters. Then it will go to the slow sand filter through an 8-diameter perforated GI pipe. The slow sand filter is around 19.5 meters x 8.5 meters x 2.2 meters.

The plant is also equipped with a backwash tank with a size of 6.6 meters in diameter and 3.55 meters in height. The final stage of the treatment is the chlorination process through a chlorination tank. The filtered water goes to two transmission lines 6 diameters CI and 8 diameters GI. The current discharge of the Kulador treatment plant is 20 liters per second.

The treatment plant was passed by Catbalogan Municipal Waterworks year 1979 when the Catbalogan Water District was created.

Caramayon Pumping Station

The project started on February 22, 2002. Fund by 32M ADB - Loan under LWUA's Small Towns Water Supply System Project (STWSSP).

Component of the project are the ff:

a. Construction of Mini Dam and Sump tank

b. Pumping facilities

c. Generator

d. Laying of 5.1 km 10" diameter Transmission Lines

e. Installation 3-phase Electric Power Line, 13.2 KV

The Project site is not accesible to any mode of transportation. On a highland Barangay of Libas Sitio Caramayon where the spring is located, it is approximately 9.1 kms. from the nearest lowland Barangay San Andres and about 11 kms. from the center of the Poblacion. Caramayon spring could be reached only by foot passing through mountains, the highest of which is 197 meters above mean sea level and traversing the same river about twenty (20) times. Said spring source is below and between mountain ranges with an elevation of 84.7 meters. Except for the pumps which were airlifted (courtesy of the 8ID, Camp Lucban & PAF) all of the materials and equipments were handled/carried manually.

A Mini Dam was built from where water flows to the Dump Tank by gravity. Three high pressure submersible pumps was installed to pump water to the break pressure chamber and from there water fows by gravity to the Kulador Treatment Plant via a 10-inch pipeline through a 4.65-km distance.

A 3-phase power line 13.2 KV Primary Line with a distance of 11.9 kms was constructed as a primary prime mover of the pumping equipment. A generator was installed as standby power.

5.1 kms pipelines 10 inch and 8 inch diameter was installed.

On February 22, 2005, test run was conducted on the pumping equipment and three days after it was put to operation.

With the three (3) pumps capable of delivering a combined capacity of 91 lps, it can supply 9000 households.