Rivers have been important sources of drinking water, food, and livelihood since the beginning of human civilizations and until now, communities depend on the sustenance rivers provide. However, they have been utilized for so long that nature has shown signs of ecological imbalance due to widespread pollution, continuous human activities, and natural phenomena.  One such resource is the Pampanga River, the fourth largest basin in the Philippines, coursing Central Luzon from Pantabangan Dam in the northeast to Manila Bay in the southwest.

Many methods have been developed in order to study and monitor river conditions.  Conventional tools currently used in the Philippines, however, like physico-chemical monitoring which only analyzes elements such as temperature and level of nutrients in the water, have been proven by previous studies to be insufficient in detecting pollutions in the aquatic environment.  Thus, additional methods have been developed which include the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI).