Showers in changing rooms closed, public swimming pools closed in August, suspension of watering green spaces using mains water and restrictions on washing the municipal fleet of vehicles. The Council of Loulé will implement, starting next week, a series of new measures due to the drought.
The actions stem from the activation of the Municipal Contingency Plan for Periods of Drought in the Municipality of Loulé, approved this Monday, June 5th, by order of Vítor Aleixo.
Speaking to journalists, on the sidelines of the 8th Meeting of the Local Council for Monitoring Climate Action in the Municipality of Loulé, which took place on Monday, June 5, World Environment Day, the mayor said that these restrictions "at various levels are aimed at saving water".
The package of measures will allow, according to the mayor, a saving, until August, of about "16 thousand cubic meters of water".
This savings will allow supplying «about 1500 families», predicted Vítor Aleixo.
In terms of green spaces, the municipality will carry out 26 interventions to change the existing vegetation cover in identified areas, in some cases «letting it dry».
The suspension of irrigation of green spaces using mains water and the use, whenever possible, of other water sources, such as water from Bicas Velhas, will now be reinforced. On the other hand, in early 2024, an intelligent irrigation management system will be implemented.
Municipal Swimming Pools are once again one of the focuses of the measures.
In Loulé, the outdoor swimming pools will be open from the 15th of June until the end of July, but the showers in the changing rooms will be closed. In August the equipment will be closed.
In the interior complex and in Quarteira, the period of operation will be even more restricted: limited use during the second half of June, only accessible for swimming lessons until the end of the month.
In July and August, the doors close at the indoor swimming pools in Loulé and in the Piscinas de Quarteira.
In Salir, «for reasons we considered», the swimming pools will remain open, but the spas will close.
Also other sports facilities, such as the football fields, pavilions and tennis courts in the municipality or the BMX track, in Quarteira, will have the showers in the changing rooms closed until August.
The washing of public spaces and equipment such as containers and moloks will be done using alternative sources or water for reuse, such as the water used in municipal works.
The municipality is also evaluating the possibility of reducing the pressure in the water supply networks by regulating flow reducing valves.
The ornamental fountains in charge of the Municipality, which currently operate for 11 hours in closed circuit, will, from now on, have a restricted operation. The water available in fountain networks in the county will be limited.
The washing of the municipal vehicle fleet will be restricted, with the exception of vehicles assigned to the health service. On the other hand, the municipality will reduce the frequency of washing passenger transport vehicles.
For the future, the Municipality of Loulé intends to create conditions for the use of surface water outcrops, such as the springs of Bicas Velhas and Goncinha and extraction water from the Sal-Gema Mine, for irrigation and washing of streets in Loulé.
In public spaces such as city council buildings, parish councils, schools, sports spaces, among others, water efficiency and consumption reduction equipment will be installed.
Updating the hydraulic infrastructure register, geo-referencing and renewing the meter pool, revising the tariff structure, creating measurement and control zones and, in times of particular severity of the phenomenon, the proposal for constraints on water consumption of the largest consumers and/or temporary suspension of public equipment are also measures that the municipality is implementing, in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Contingency Plan for Periods of Drought of the Municipality of Loulé.
In parallel, the municipality will launch a communication campaign to raise awareness of the urgent need to save water.
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