Águas do Algarve will invest close to 5 million euros in the Alcantarilha Water Treatment Plant, with the aim of increasing its capacity..
“The aim is to increase the water treatment capacity. In summer, we have the need for a higher flow rate and, sometimes, the need to add the aluminum sulphate reagent, so that the water can be treated properly, it did not always allow this compound to be completely removed, which took the rejection of some lots», explained Joaquim Peres, president of Águas do Algarve, on November 28, the day the contract for this work was signed..
With the intervention that will be made at the Alcantarilha WTP, the treatment capacity will be increased by 1200 liters per second (L/s), through the introduction of two new flotation lines, «downstream of the pre-oxidation stages with ozone and coagulation and flocculation'.
This will allow to increase the treatment capacity from the current 1800 L/s to a maximum of 3 thousand. Thus, it will be possible to better respond to the needs of the population served by the Alcantarilha ETA, which has to be prepared to face strong population fluctuations, since it serves the municipalities of Albufeira, Aljezur, Lagoa, Lagos, Monchique, Portimão, Loulé (West and North), Silves and Vila do Bispo - if necessary, it can also supply the municipalities of Faro, Olhão and Tavira, through the Reversible Pumping Station.
In practice, this means that Águas do Algarve will «be able to treat a greater amount of water, in less time. In a region that, in the summer, triples its population, these treatment solutions are needed», according to Joaquim Peres.
This intervention will have a total cost of 4,8 million euros, 2,4 of which (50%) will be guaranteed by the European Union, under the Operational Plan for Sustainability and Efficiency in the Use of Resources (POSEUR). Its lead time is about one year.
The Alcantarilha WWTP treats surface water from the Odelouca reservoir (since 2012) and groundwater from the intakes of Vale da Vila and Benaciate. Surface water is added to the Alcantarilha WWTP by gravity, through a pipeline measuring 2,5 meters in diameter and approximately 12 kilometers in length from the Odelouca tunnel.
This ETA is located about 10 kilometers from Silves and 12 kilometers from the Odelouca Tunnel, near the town of Alcantarilha – Gare. Its construction began in October 1998 and ended at the end of 1999.
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