It takes up much less space than the ones it replaced, but it will be big enough to treat the sewage produced by 115 thousand people – about a third of the population of the Algarve -, from the municipalities of Faro, Olhão and São Brás de Alportel.
The new Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) of Faro/Olhão was inaugurated today and closed a cycle of investments by Águas do Algarve in large basic sanitation infrastructures in the Algarve region.
«With this WWTP and Companheira's in Portimão, the sewage of a very significant portion of the Algarve population is definitively treated. Here, an infrastructure investment cycle ends. With these two projects, around 44 million euros were invested in the region», highlighted the minister of Environment and Energy Transition João Matos Fernandes, who was in Faro to inaugurate the equipment.
This state-of-the-art WWTP allows for a very high level of treatment, to the point where the water that comes out of it is free of any contaminants and can even be used for irrigation.
«The quality of the water in the Ria Formosa will, very quickly, experience a great improvement and all these lagoon ecosystems will improve a lot. We are talking about a WWTP with a lot of capacity, state of art when it comes to treatment technology», assured João Matos Fernandes.
On the other hand, it will be possible to greatly increase energy efficiency and reduce the infrastructure's CO2 emissions.
This better environmental performance is due to the system that will be used, the Nereida. “This system has three main features. From the outset, allow the implementation of this infrastructure in a smaller area. It also allows for a great reduction in energy consumption, by around 40% and, consequently, a great reduction in carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere», according to Teresa Fernandes, spokesperson for Águas do Algarve.
The new WWTP will also put an end, once and for all, with the bad smell that was associated with the two stations it replaced – those in Olhão Poente and in Faro Source. These were also known for the environmental problems they caused, given that they used retention ponds to treat wastewater.
This will be possible thanks to the «important technological resources» of this equipment, which allow the application «of the most innovative solutions in a very efficient treatment, without bad smell or pollution», explained the Mayor of Faro Rogério Bacalhau, stressing that the construction of the WWTP was “an old plan” of the municipality of Faro.
António Pina, his counterpart in Olhão, recalled that the need to replace the old treatment plants, which used retention ponds, had been evident for a long time, but that it became imperative “since the nurseries in the Ria were declassified. Formosa' due to pollution.
To reverse this situation, it was necessary to invest around 23 million euros, not only in this WWTP, but also in a Pumping Station in Olhão and its connection to the main infrastructure.
Once the works have been completed, Águas do Algarve is already looking to the future. «The challenge, from now on, is to know how to conserve and dedicate ourselves to research and development», considered Joaquim Peres, president of the Algarve's multi-municipal water supply and sanitation company.
And there are already projects in the pipeline, namely the installation of a photovoltaic park on land with available space, next to the new WWTP, as well as the recovery of sludge, a by-product of wastewater treatment, through drying in greenhouses, a project that Águas do Algarve is “studying”.
The commissioning of this equipment also opens up new possibilities in terms of «the enjoyment of the surrounding natural space», not only for the population, but also for the avifauna.
«We are still studying, together with the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests, what we can do to use the surrounding spaces. For now, it is guaranteed the possibility of feeding the salt pans with fresh water, so that the birdlife is able to live here. There are also other types of birds, which need sludge to scavenge and obtain nutrients, which is also guaranteed», revealed Joaquim Peres.
Comments