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Abstract
Shipyard construction and repair operations are a recognized source of industrial water contamination worldwide, yet no published assessment has evaluated water quality at the AgSur Shipyard Construction and Repair facility in Butuan City, Philippines, across a full physicochemical, heavy metal, and microbiological parameter set. This study determined the physicochemical parameters (color, turbidity, pH, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, and dissolved oxygen), heavy metal concentrations (lead, nickel, copper, cadmium, and chromium), and microbiological parameters (total coliform and fecal coliform) of water sampled at the AgSur Shipyard relative to Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) water quality standards. The study employed a quantitative, non-experimental descriptive-evaluative design. One water sample was collected closest to the shipyard dockyard, within its perimeter fence, in Barangay Bading, Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, and analyzed at the Department of Science and Technology laboratory in Ampayon, Butuan City. pH (7.66), total dissolved solids (241 mg/L), dissolved oxygen (8.48 mg/L), lead, chromium, and nickel (0.0080 mg/L) all fell within DENR limits. Color (876 color units), turbidity (16.7 NTU), and total suspended solids (159 mg/L) exceeded their physical standards; copper (0.0945 mg/L) and cadmium (0.0413 mg/L) exceeded their chemical standards; and fecal coliform (5,400 MPN/100 mL) exceeded its standard nearly sevenfold, while total coliform remained compliant. These results reveal two distinct, plausibly overlapping contamination pathways, an industrial pathway consistent with elevated copper, cadmium, color, and turbidity, and a sanitation pathway consistent with severe fecal coliform contamination, indicating that corrective action must address both shipyard industrial discharge and surrounding community sanitation infrastructure.