ABSTRACT

The Framing of Water Bodies in Preponderant Uses Classes, according to Conama Resolution nº 357/2005, enables the establishment of goals to be achieved, or maintained, in a body of water according to its predominant uses. Its proposal is the responsibility of the River Basin Committees, in the Mountain Region of the state of Rio de Janeiro; The Piabanha Committee has set the Framing of the Piabanha River as a priority. In this sense, the objective of this article was to compare the extent to which the Framing behaves as a process of rehabilitation of river health. It seeks to build a theoretical approach and define methodological guidelines for water resources framing projects. In the conclusions, five recommendations that are considered key to the framing process are emphasized.

KEYWORDS:
Water use; River pollution; Water quality

Introduction

In Brazil, few continuous monitoring data demonstrate the improvement of river water quality¹1 SOS Mata Atlântica. Observando os Rios 2017 - O retrato da qualidade da água nas bacias da Mata Atlântica. [internet]. São Paulo: SOSMA; 2017. [acesso em 2019 mar 22]. Disponível em: https://www.sosma.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/SOSMA_Observando-os-Rios-2017_online.pdf.
https://www.sosma.org.br/wp-content/uplo... ^,22 Agência Nacional de Águas. Conjuntura dos recursos hídricos no Brasil 2017: relatório pleno. Brasília, DF: ANA; 2017.. Proper spatial distribution and continuity of historical series are a constant challenge in the operation of a qualitative and quantitative network. Such discontinuities impair the monitoring of the environmental health of rivers and make it impossible for the inspection agent to make factual decisions.

In analogy to clinical tests, requested by a physician, of parameters such as blood count, glucose rates, cholesterol among many others that measure human health, water quality parameters such as Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Potential Hydrogen (pH), among others, measure the health of a water body.

An appropriate study 'Observing Rivers', produced by SOS Mata Atlântica, brought data collected and analyzed from the period March 2016 to February 2017, containing worrying results on the health of the rivers, badly affected and requiring care. "1.607 water quality analyses were performed at 240 collection points, distributed in 184 water bodies, in 73 municipalities of 11 states of the Atlantic Forest biome"¹1 SOS Mata Atlântica. Observando os Rios 2017 - O retrato da qualidade da água nas bacias da Mata Atlântica. [internet]. São Paulo: SOSMA; 2017. [acesso em 2019 mar 22]. Disponível em: https://www.sosma.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/SOSMA_Observando-os-Rios-2017_online.pdf.
https://www.sosma.org.br/wp-content/uplo... ⁽⁶6 United Nations. Transforming our World: The 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development. New York: UN; 2015.⁾, concluding that 51 rivers presented poor or terrible quality; and 97, regular, according to Water Quality Index (WQI) standards. How to treat these rivers? Is it possible to recover them?

Among the management instruments established by the Brazilian National Water Resources Policy³3 Brasil. Lei nº 9433, de 08 de janeiro de 1997. Política Nacional de Recursos Hídricos. Diário Oficial da União. 9 Jan 1997. (Law nº 9.433/97), the Framing of Water Bodies in Classes of Predominant Uses, in accordance with Conama (National Council of Environment) Resolution nº 357/2005, enables the establishment of goals to be achieved, or kept, in a segment of water body according to its predominant uses⁴4 Conselho Nacional de Meio Ambiente. Resolução nº 357, de 17 de março de 2005. Dispõe sobre a classificação dos corpos de água e diretrizes ambientais para o seu enquadramento, bem como estabelece as condições e padrões de lançamento de efluentes, e dá outras providências. Diário Oficial da União. 18 Mar 2005..

The parameters established for the framing classes are a reference for river health checkup, encompassing all elements that measure water quality from continuous monitoring.

It is known that water is the precursor of life and that without it in quantity and quality there is no well-being, therefore, human health is enormously compromised. This logic has led human settlements to, historically, settle near rivers, lakes and estuaries.

However, with the urbanization process, the characteristics of natural environments were strongly changed, bringing undesirable consequences, such as: the loss of aquatic life-supporting capacity, the reduction in the amount of water due to its uses and changes in the local⁵5 Baptista M, Cardoso A. Rios e Cidades: uma longa e sinuosa história. Rev. UFMG. 2013; 20(2):124-153. geomorphology, in addition to undesirable water-borne diseases.

Aiming at reversing this history of degradation, the United Nations (UN), recognizing sanitation and access to water as a human right, proposed the Millennium Development Goals Program⁶6 United Nations. Transforming our World: The 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development. New York: UN; 2015. which established, among others, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6.6), concerning the protection and restoration of water-related ecosystems. Another major milestone was the general assembly statement of the UN, March 1, 2019, which established the period from 2021 to 2030 as the decade of ecosystem restoration⁷7 El Salvador. Ministério do meio ambiente. United Nations Environment Programme, UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration 2021 - 2030 [internet]. [acesso em 2019 mar 2]. Disponível em: https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/26027/Ecosystem_decade_Salvador_Initiative.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle... .

In the local scenario, the Piabanha Committee⁸8 Rio de Janeiro. Decreto Estadual nº 38.235, de 14 de setembro de 2005. Institui o Comitê da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Piabanha e sub-bacias hidrográficas dos rios Paquequer e Preto, no âmbito do Sistema Estadual de Gerenciamento de Recursos Hídricos. Diário Oficial do Estado. 15 Nov 2005.^,99 Rio de Janeiro. Decreto Estadual nº 45.461, de 25 de novembro de 2015. Dá nova redação ao Decreto Estadual nº. 38.235. Diário Oficial do Estado. 28 Nov 2005., which is part of the State Water Resources Management System¹⁰10 Rio de Janeiro. Lei nº 3.239, de 02 de agosto de 1999. Institui a Política Estadual de Recursos Hídricos. Cria o Sistema Estadual de Gerenciamento de Recursos Hídricos. Diário Oficial do Estado. 3 Ago 1998., has set the Framing of the Piabanha River as a priority, located in the Mountain Region of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is expected that the methodology applied in this project will be the reference for the framing of the other rivers in the region.

In this sense, the objective of this article is to compare the extent to which the Framing behaves as a process of rehabilitation of the health of rivers. The aim is to construct a theoretical background and define methodological guidelines for water resource framing projects.

Material and methods

For the topic Framing of Water Resources, we conducted a systematic literature search covering the period from 2008 to 2019. The initial year is justified by the publication of Resolution nº 91/2008 of the Brazilian National Water Resources Council¹¹11 Conselho Nacional de Recursos Hídricos. Resolução nº 91, de 05 de novembro de 2008. Dispõe sobre procedimentos gerais para o enquadramento dos corpos de água superficiais e subterrâneos. Diário Oficial da União. 6 Fev 2009. (CNRH) which provides for general criteria for the framing of water bodies.

For the survey of scientific articles, we used the Capes Periodical platform, consisting of 520 databases, which includes the Scopus database, the Web of Science, Springerlink and the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO). In addition to these bases, the search tools of the 'Brazilian Journal of Water Resources' and the 'Saúde em Debate' journal were also used.

The following search terms were used: 'water resources framing', 'rivers framing', 'water bodies framing', 'implementation goals framing', 'water use classifications goals', 'water use designation target'.

The areas of knowledge considered were 'Water Quality, Environmental Sciences, Rivers, Water Resources, Public Health, Environmental Monitoring, Watersheds, Engineering/Environmental, River Basins, Water Pollution, Water Resources Management, Brazil, Water Resources, Water Quality'.

For the topic Waterborne Diseases, a targeted search for the Hydrographic Region IV (HR-IV) was carried out, area of activity of the Piabanha Committee. The following descriptors were used: 'waterborne diseases in the Mountain Region of the state of Rio de Janeiro', 'schistosoma mansoni in the state of Rio de Janeiro', 'schistosoma mansoni in the Mountain Region of the state of Rio de Janeiro', 'schistosomiasis mansoni' in the municipality of Sumidouro'. The Capes Periodical platform and PubMed bases were used.

The selection criteria were: 1) Peer-reviewed articles; 2) Explicit mention of search terms in title; 3) Explicit reference in the summary of experiences or methodologies or guidelines for Framing; 4) Explicit reference in the summary of waterborne diseases occurring in the municipalities that take part of HR-IV.

For the theme River Rehabilitation, guiding documents of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) were searched. The thematic documents produced at the UN level were also searched.

In addition to the literature review, we discussed a historical series of water quality data at two points on the Piabanha River, between 2014 and 2018. The systematized data come from systematic monitoring by the State Environment Institute (Inea).

Study area

The HR-IV Rio de Janeiro represents an area of 4.484 km² and comprises, in its entirety, the territories of the municipalities of Teresópolis, Areal, São José do Vale do Rio Preto, Sapucaia and Sumidouro, and partially the municipalities of Petrópolis, Paty do Alferes, Paraíba do Sul, Três Rios and Carmo¹²12 Comitê de Integração da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Paraíba do Sul. Plano Integrado de Recursos Hídricos da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Paraíba do Sul e Planos de Ação de Recursos Hídricos das Bacias Afluentes. Relatório de Diagnóstico: RP 06 Tomo II. Resende: AGEVAP; 2014..

The Piabanha River Basin, included in HR-IV and located in the Mountain Region of the state of Rio de Janeiro, has 2.050 km² of area¹²12 Comitê de Integração da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Paraíba do Sul. Plano Integrado de Recursos Hídricos da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Paraíba do Sul e Planos de Ação de Recursos Hídricos das Bacias Afluentes. Relatório de Diagnóstico: RP 06 Tomo II. Resende: AGEVAP; 2014.. The two largest cities in the region, Petrópolis and Teresópolis, occupy the headwaters of the basins and give rise to the Piabanha River and Preto River, respectively.

Sanitation is one of the biggest environmental health problems in the region, as cities have grown in a disorderly manner along the local watershed. The territory is home to a population of approximately 500.000 inhabitants¹²12 Comitê de Integração da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Paraíba do Sul. Plano Integrado de Recursos Hídricos da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Paraíba do Sul e Planos de Ação de Recursos Hídricos das Bacias Afluentes. Relatório de Diagnóstico: RP 06 Tomo II. Resende: AGEVAP; 2014. and has a diversified economy with industries, commerce, services and agriculture, especially vegetables. The Piabanha River, with 80 km long, drains the municipalities of Petrópolis, Areal and Três Rios, its main tributaries are Preto River and Fagundes River.

The Piabanha Committee is responsible for promoting the management of water resources of HR-IV of Rio de Janeiro. Among its attributions, are the approval and implementation of the Framing of Water Resources under the terms of State Law nº 3.239/1999.

Results and discussions

Water Quality in the Piabanha River Basin

The Piabanha River Basin has five systematic monitoring points of the Inea¹³13 Instituto Estadual do Ambiente. Gestão da Qualidade das Águas [internet]. [Rio de Janeiro]: INEA: [data desconhecida] [acesso em 2019 mar 15]. Disponível em: http://www.inea.rj.gov.br/Portal/MegaDropDown/Monitoramento/Qualidadedaagua/index.htm%26lang.
http://www.inea.rj.gov.br/Portal/MegaDro... , one in Preto River, one in Paquequer River, one in Santo Antônio River and two points in Piabanha River - one in Petrópolis and another in Três Rios, respectively at the headwaters and at the river mouth.

The water quality parameters measured are BOD, Total Phosphorus, Nitrate, OD, pH, Turbidity, Thermotolerant Coliforms, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Temperature (charts 1 and 2). Based on these parameters, it is possible to calculate the Water Quality Index of the National Sanitation Foundation (WQI_NSF), officially adopted by the state of Rio de Janeiro.

In the case of thermotolerant coliforms, all samples in the historical series violate the 100 NMP/100 ml standard established for class 2 by Conama nº 357/2005. The high concentrations of coliforms show the sewage discharge in the Piabanha River, providing the presence of pathogens in these waters.

The absence and/or inefficiency of collection and treatment of sanitary effluents that, for water bodies, cause pollution; for the population, it is the cause of countless waterborne diseases. Endemic diseases such as schistosomiasis in the municipality of Sumidouro are well documented by articles¹⁴14 Coura JR, Queiroz GC, Florencio CG, et al. Morbidade da Esquistossomose Mansoni no Brasil. I-Estudo de 4.652 casos observados no Rio de Janeiro de 1960 a 1979. Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz. 1982; 77(1):69-88.^,1515 Giovanelli A, Soares MS, D'Andréa PS, et al. Abundância e infecção do molusco Biomphalaria glabrata pelo Schistosoma mansoni no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Rev. Saúde Pública. 2001 35(6):523-530. covering research for more than half a century, and, even today, the problem persists in rural areas: this disease was also detected in the municipality of Carmo¹⁶16 Thiengo CT, Mattos AC, Boaventura MF, et al. Freshwater Snails na Schistosomiasis Mansoni in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazill: V - Norte Fluminense Mesoregion. Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz. 2004; 99(1):99-103..

Other authors report the occurrence of pathogens such as Cryptosporidium parvus in vegetables in Teresópolis¹⁷17 Pereira CRA, Ferreira AP, Koifman RJ. Detecção de Cryptosporidium parvum em alfaces frescas para consumo cru. Estudo de caso: Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Gaia Scientia. 2008; 2(2):31-6.^,1818 Ferreira AP, Horta MPA, Pereira CRA. Qualidade higiênico-sanitária das águas de irrigação de estabelecimentos produtores de hortaliças no município de Teresópolis, RJ. Rev. Uniandrade. 2013; 13(1).. Cases of hepatitis A, leptospirosis, giardiasis, among others, are common and may occur in greater amounts during flood periods, when river water overflow is common¹⁹19 Assumpção RSFV. Petrópolis: um histórico de desastres sem solução? Do Plano Koeler ao Programa Cidades Resilientes. [tese]. Rio de Janeiro: Escola Nacional de Saúde Púbica Sergio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo cruz; 2015. 246 p.. Overall, the perception of the authors residing in this region indicates that HR-IV presents an epidemiological picture with underreporting of cases, since not every episode of gastroenteritis is registered.

The DO parameter in water is directly related to the biological activity in the river and its respective BOD, allowing to infer the aerobic and anaerobic processes of biodegradation in the river. In general, low levels of DO are mostly related to water pollution by organic material and other nutrients, especially sanitary sewage²⁰20 Von Sperling M. Introdução à qualidade das águas e ao tratamento de esgotos. 9. rev. ed. Belo Horizonte: UFMG; 2018..

In the monitoring point in Petrópolis (chart 1), it can be seen that most of the DO values are below the Minimum Value Allowed (MVA) for class 2; similarly, the BOD parameter also has violations. Dates with DO values above 5 mg/L are mostly associated with rainy periods, when the dilution effect increases DO levels. Unfortunately, quantitative data, that is, flow measurement, is not performed simultaneously with taking samples for laboratory water quality analysis, which would allow the quantification of polluting loads.

The WQI_NSF oscillates between the medium and bad categories (chart 1), being the bad category the most frequent. It is noteworthy that when a single parameter that make up the WQI_NSF is not available, the calculation of the index becomes unfeasible, thus justifying the break in the historical sequence.

Near the river mouth of the Piabanha River, in the municipality of Três Rios (chart 2), there is an improvement in water quality. At this point, virtually all analysis for the DO parameter were above 5 mg/L, that is, within the standard for class 2. The BOD parameter had only two violations for the point. As a result of this improvement in quality, WQI_NSF (chart 2) also oscillated between the medium and bad categories, but with values at the limit of the good category.

Improvement in water quality in the region near the river mouth is due to the self-purification capacity of the Piabanha River, which goes through regions full of waterfalls, which allows high rates of natural water aeration. However, mainly, it is due to the dilution conferred by its confluence with the Fagundes River and the Preto River, where, in the field, it is already visually possible to perceive the diluting effect.

Other monitored parameters are below the maximum allowed value for the class.

Based on the WQI_NSF presented, it can be seen that the Piabanha River is highly impacted by anthropogenic pressures, from the discharge of effluents and/or the unregulated practice of agriculture to the irregular occupation of its banks. In this aspect, restoration/rehabilitation of degraded sections and maintenance/protection of less impacted sections is essential.

In order to improve the quality of the Piabanha River, it was necessary to consider the necessary instruments, whether conceptual in the science of ecological restoration or legal in the case of the Framing of Water Bodies.

Ecological restoration

Ecological restoration is defined by SER²¹21 Society for Ecological Restoration. International Primer on Ecological Restoration. Tucson: SER; 2004.^,2222 McDonald T, Gann GD, Jonson J, et al. International standards for the practice of ecological restoration - including principles and key concepts. Society for Ecological Restoration: Washington; 2016. as the process of assisting in the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed. This definition is the result of a broad analysis of the most cited scientific papers, which were discussed in the Primer report of the SER²¹21 Society for Ecological Restoration. International Primer on Ecological Restoration. Tucson: SER; 2004.. It is an intentional and planned activity aimed at restoring any type of degraded ecosystem to its historical trajectory, not to its historical condition²¹21 Society for Ecological Restoration. International Primer on Ecological Restoration. Tucson: SER; 2004.. This means that the restored ecosystem will not necessarily regain its former state, as contemporary constraints and conditions may cause it to develop along an altered trajectory²²22 McDonald T, Gann GD, Jonson J, et al. International standards for the practice of ecological restoration - including principles and key concepts. Society for Ecological Restoration: Washington; 2016.. Restoration activity will put the ecosystem on a recovery path where it can persist, and its species can adapt and evolve.

The first stage of restoration project planning and design is the identification of a reference ecosystem, which can be defined as a characteristic ecosystem model that represents the restoration project goal²²22 McDonald T, Gann GD, Jonson J, et al. International standards for the practice of ecological restoration - including principles and key concepts. Society for Ecological Restoration: Washington; 2016.. This reference is synthesized with past and present information and anticipates future restoration conditions, reinforcing the importance of monitoring. Projects that seek to reinstall some form of functionality without seeking to recover a substantial proportion of the native biota found in a reference ecosystem should be described as rehabilitation projects²²22 McDonald T, Gann GD, Jonson J, et al. International standards for the practice of ecological restoration - including principles and key concepts. Society for Ecological Restoration: Washington; 2016..

Planning, implementation, monitoring and maintenance of ecological restoration projects

The reference document prepared by SER²²22 McDonald T, Gann GD, Jonson J, et al. International standards for the practice of ecological restoration - including principles and key concepts. Society for Ecological Restoration: Washington; 2016. devotes its third section to recommending standard practices for planning, implementing, monitoring and maintaining ecological restoration projects. The main recommendations are summarized below.

During the planning and design phase, eight generic and standard actions must be observed that must be adapted to the specificities of each project, they are²²22 McDonald T, Gann GD, Jonson J, et al. International standards for the practice of ecological restoration - including principles and key concepts. Society for Ecological Restoration: Washington; 2016.:

During the implementation phase, restoration projects should be managed in such a way that six standard issues are observed, they are²²22 McDonald T, Gann GD, Jonson J, et al. International standards for the practice of ecological restoration - including principles and key concepts. Society for Ecological Restoration: Washington; 2016.:

Once we highlight the state of the art in terms of the ecological restoration advocated by SER, we are going to emphasize a little more the river environments.

In order to maintain the etymological preciosity of the word 'restoration' and following the recommendation of the SER, we have adopted in this paper the use of the word 'rehabilitation' to describe all the efforts to reinstall some form of ecosystem functionality without the intention of recovering a significant proportion of the native biota found in a reference ecosystem.

Rehabilitation of rivers

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) launched, in 2016, the book 'River Restoration: A Strategic Approach to Planning and Management'²³23 Speed R, Li Y, Tickner D, et al. River Restoration: A Strategic Approach to Planning and Management. Paris: Unesco; 2016..

In this international reference, the term 'river restoration' is used to refer to any intervention to improve ecosystem function, river health and related ecosystem services. These interventions include measures aimed at achieving a state that differs from the original natural condition of the river. Restored river systems do not necessarily reflect the function or structure of the original system, but show improved functions or structures compared to the degraded system.

Techniques for river restoration/rehabilitation

The River Restoration Center of the United Kingdom is a non-profit organization founded by members from the public, private and Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) of that country, which has promoted the restoration of rivers since 1997. The RRC is a center of 'information and specialized advice' for all aspects of river basin restoration and river basin management.

Since the creation of the RRC, 3.947 river restoration/rehabilitation projects have been accounted for²⁴2 4. National River Restoration. National River Restoration Inventory Factsheet [internet]. Cranfield: NRR; 2018 [acesso em 2019 jan 29]. Disponível em: https://www.therrc.co.uk/sites/default/files/files/NRRI/english_nrri_factsheet_v2.pdf.
https://www.therrc.co.uk/sites/default/f... . The main techniques used in these projects include the restoration of meanders, the removal of barrages, the fencing of rivers, the regeneration of riparian vegetation, the control of pollution sources, the creation of fish passages, the formation/maintenance of flooded areas, stabilization of margins and improvement of rainwater delivery points.

Speed et al.²³23 Speed R, Li Y, Tickner D, et al. River Restoration: A Strategic Approach to Planning and Management. Paris: Unesco; 2016. describe 13 categories of river revitalization interventions, as shown in figure 1.

Framing of Brazilian water bodies

The framing of water bodies, according to the predominant uses of water, in the same way as the Water Resources Plan, is a planning instrument provided by the Brazilian National Water Resources Policy (Federal Law nº 9.433/1997) and other State Water Resources Policies. According to the National Water Agency (ANA)²⁵25 Agência Nacional de Águas. Cadernos de capacitação em Recursos Hídricos: Plano de Recursos Hídricos e Enquadramento dos corpos de água. Volume 5. Brasília, DF: SAG; 2013.:

The framing of water bodies represents the establishment of the water quality goal to be achieved, or maintained, in a water body segment, according to the intended uses, according to Conama Resolution nº 357/2005.

The purpose of this instrument is to assure water quality compatible with the most demanding uses for which it is intended, as well as to reduce the costs of combating water pollution through permanent preventive actions.

To establish a water quality objective it is necessary: to evaluate the current condition of the river, that is, 'the river we have'; to discuss, with the population of the basin, the desired quality condition for that river, 'the river we want'; and, finally, to discuss and agree the goal with the different actors of the river basin, 'the river we can have', taking into account the technical and economic limitations for its reach²⁵25 Agência Nacional de Águas. Cadernos de capacitação em Recursos Hídricos: Plano de Recursos Hídricos e Enquadramento dos corpos de água. Volume 5. Brasília, DF: SAG; 2013.⁽³⁹⁾.

Framing is related to other instruments of water resources management, such as: the granting of water resources and their respective charge for their use, as well as environmental licensing, which, although the latter is not an instrument of the National Water Resources Policy, it must observe the classes of classification in the licensing of activities that capture or release effluents in framed rivers²⁵25 Agência Nacional de Águas. Cadernos de capacitação em Recursos Hídricos: Plano de Recursos Hídricos e Enquadramento dos corpos de água. Volume 5. Brasília, DF: SAG; 2013..

The absence of effective definition of a framework may cause damage to society by not guaranteeing the objectives for which the instrument is intended.

The framing proposal is a technical activity and should be carried out by water agencies and discussed in the Basin Committee, which, in turn, should submit it for approval by the respective Water Resources Council²⁵25 Agência Nacional de Águas. Cadernos de capacitação em Recursos Hídricos: Plano de Recursos Hídricos e Enquadramento dos corpos de água. Volume 5. Brasília, DF: SAG; 2013.. A brief history of the framing process is described in ANA²⁵25 Agência Nacional de Águas. Cadernos de capacitação em Recursos Hídricos: Plano de Recursos Hídricos e Enquadramento dos corpos de água. Volume 5. Brasília, DF: SAG; 2013..

The first water body classification system of Brazil was proposed in São Paulo, in 1955, by State Decree nº 24.806. At the federal level, the first classification initiative took place in 1976, in which the Ministry of Interior, through Ordinance nº 3, classified freshwater according to the preponderant uses for which the waters were intended. Ten years later, this Ordinance was replaced by Conama Resolution nº 20, which established a new classification for the fresh, brackish and saline waters of the National Territory, distributed in nine classes according to the predominant uses for which the waters were intended. In 1997, with the enactment of Law nº 9.433, the instrument was incorporated into the National Water Resources Policy. It is noteworthy that the framing is also a reference for the National Environment System, as it represents, among others, water quality standards for licensing and environmental monitoring actions.

In 2005, Conama Resolution nº 357 is published, replacing Resolution nº 20, which governs the framing of water bodies, together with Conama Resolution nº 396/2008, which deals with groundwater framing.

Finally, the CNRH approves Resolution nº 91/2008, which provides for general procedures for framing surface and underground water bodies²⁵25 Agência Nacional de Águas. Cadernos de capacitação em Recursos Hídricos: Plano de Recursos Hídricos e Enquadramento dos corpos de água. Volume 5. Brasília, DF: SAG; 2013.⁽⁴⁴⁾.

In the state of Rio de Janeiro, with the exception of the Guandu Committee, the other State Committees have not yet proposed the framing of state-owned rivers, so they are considered Class 2, unless current quality conditions are better, which will determine application of the corresponding strictest class, according to art. 42 of Conama Resolution nº 357. The portions of the Paraíba do Sul River, of federal domain, were framed by Ordinance GM/086, of June 4, 1981, and are between Classes 1 and 2.

The Resolution of the CNRH nº 91/2008¹¹11 Conselho Nacional de Recursos Hídricos. Resolução nº 91, de 05 de novembro de 2008. Dispõe sobre procedimentos gerais para o enquadramento dos corpos de água superficiais e subterrâneos. Diário Oficial da União. 6 Fev 2009. divides the framing activity into five basic steps (figure 2): diagnosis, prognosis and elaboration of framing alternatives, Committee deliberation and implementation of the framing program. The first three steps can be considered technical, but should be conducted in close relationship with the Basin Committee, in order to conduct public consultations, outline scenarios and define actions.

The last two actions have a more political/decision-making character that should be conducted by the Basin Committee together with its Technical Agency.

The diagnostic stage concerns the current state of the basin, it is a momentary portrait that should have primary and secondary data. In this regard, it should be noted that there is a widespread practice of performing diagnoses with only secondary data, but in the specific case of framing, there should be, rather, primary data collection, because there is no way to frame stretches of rivers where water quality is unknown. The diagnosis should minimally include²⁵25 Agência Nacional de Águas. Cadernos de capacitação em Recursos Hídricos: Plano de Recursos Hídricos e Enquadramento dos corpos de água. Volume 5. Brasília, DF: SAG; 2013.:

The prognosis, the second stage, concerns the projection of possible trajectories of the watershed over a considered time horizon, its activities should, at a minimum, comprehend²⁵25 Agência Nacional de Águas. Cadernos de capacitação em Recursos Hídricos: Plano de Recursos Hídricos e Enquadramento dos corpos de água. Volume 5. Brasília, DF: SAG; 2013.:

The elaboration of the framing alternatives, the third step, is based on the scenarios modeled in the prognosis. Essentially, it should contain the main actions to be taken to reach the adopted scenario, as well as the cost estimates associated with a realization program of the framing.

The analysis and deliberation of the Committee, as well as validation by the Water Resources Council, are more political activities involving the consensus of the segments represented in the Basin Committee and other local political actors, given that a program of investments and actions by various actors, such as city halls, sanitation agencies, environmental agencies, etc. is needed.

The last and most complex step is the realization of the framing program. It is the most challenging activity to understand the actions themselves, works, reforestation, construction of sewage and treatment plants, expropriations in risk areas etc.

Based on this brief exposition of the framing steps, it can be seen that the effective implementation of a framing program is ultimately a river rehabilitation project or, in the second instance, an instrument that maintains the existing quality.

Conclusions

The monitoring data synthesized by the WQI_NSF presented show that the Piabanha River is highly impacted, and if structural interventions are not performed in the basin, there is a growing trend of water quality degradation, and consequently, an increase in waterborne diseases.

The implementation of a framing program improves the water quality of a river and, in this respect, resembles a river rehabilitation project.

Some concepts applied to ecological restoration and described in this paper are highly recommended to be applied in framing projects, namely: engagement of the interested parties; clear specifications of objectives and goals; clarification of rehabilitation actions; guarantee of property rights in the intervention areas; logistic analysis; no additional damage caused by the project steps; qualified follow up; support for natural processes; adaptive management; legal compliance and communication.

In addition to the stages listed in CNRH Resolution nº 91/2008, which provides for the framework, we can highlight five guidelines that we consider pertinent to the framing's success, namely:

In order to complement the guidelines, the experience of the participation of the authors in the Piabanha Committee allows to emphasize highly recommended experiences to be resumed/expanded, such as Piabanha River Park and the Payments for Environmental Services (PES). Another highly successful initiative is the Piabanha River Riparian Forest Range (FMP), which, however, lacks a specific program of forest restoration, in association with other actions, already discussed by the Committee, as information boards and implementation of physical limits of FMP.

Finally, it is understood that the success of the Framing process and its goals depend on the universalization of sanitation in the basin.

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