The approximately 47 thousand liters of treated water that will result every day from the operation of the Companheira's future Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) may be used for «watering, washing streets, feeding water lines and recharge of aquifers », announced Joaquim Peres, president of Águas do Algarve, during the visit that the Secretary of State for the Environment made, on Monday, to the works on that structure.
"Instead of discarding, discarding this water, it can be used for irrigation and other purposes," said the official.
This use, which has always been claimed by the Portimão City Council and its Municipal Water and Waste Company (EMARP), was considered by Joaquim Castelão Rodrigues, vice president of the Portimão municipality, as “a great victory”.
The mayor stressed that the reuse of treated water «was not initially foreseen in the project», but the administrator of Águas do Algarve explained that this is «an evolution of the project». «Time is opening new windows of opportunity», reinforced Joaquim Peres.
"The water can be used for irrigation and will be available to you, to be used in the environmental theme park" to be created on the edge of the Arade, in the area of the current sewage treatment ponds, which will be deactivated, added the chairman of the Council of Algarve Water Administration. Now, he added, everything depends "on the project to use this treated water more intelligently".
João Rosa, managing director of EMARP, who also accompanied the visit to the works of the new WWTP, which will start operating in March of next year, took the opportunity to recall that «an old dream of EMARP is that these treated waters serve to recharge aquifers”, which could be “important for the future of agriculture” in the region, but also to guarantee “the irrigation of golf courses”. "It is a challenge that I leave here to the Secretary of State, to allow and encourage the use of treated water in the irrigation of golf courses, creating a special tariff," added João Rosa.
Joaquim Castelão Rodrigues, vice president of the Portimão Chamber, considers this announcement as “a great victory”
Secretary of State Carlos Martins soon responded to the challenge, stressing that "the reuse of these waters is a relevant issue", especially when the world is "confronted with climate change".
The official said that the Águas de Portugal Group, which the company Águas do Algarve is part of, "created a group at national level to find a strategy for the use of these treated waters."
Carlos Martins recalled that, in the Algarve, many golf courses were licensed «from the perspective of using treated effluent water», but this never materialized. Now, the two new WWTP under construction in the region - to of Faro/Olhão, who had visited in the morning, and that of Companheira, to serve Portimão, Lagoa and Monchique – “they will create a different panorama”.
"This is a logical closure after an investment of this nature," said Secretary of State Carlos Martins. "Complying with the most demanding requirements", the water that results from the operation will have "nobler uses", even to "boost the regional economy", said the official.
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues|Sul Informação
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