Framing

The PENSAARP 2030, the new Strategic Plan for Water Supply and Wastewater and Stormwater Management, is currently under public consultation. In this section, we invite you to take a guided tour of the plan and to participate in the consultation. We provide a detailed description of each of the twenty objectives, aiming to encourage the ongoing public discussion. See here Objective A.3.

Objective for the Quality of Water Supplied and Discharged by Water Services

The population must have access to a water supply service that ensures the quality of the product provided by the managing entity (drinking water), guaranteeing that it does not deteriorate within building systems. Another objective is to improve environmental control over water catchment for supply purposes.

The aim is also to ensure that the population has access to high-quality wastewater and stormwater management services, particularly regarding the effluents returned to the environment by the managing entity. This includes improving both quantitative and qualitative control over wastewater and stormwater discharges, as well as fostering more effective coordination between industrial operators and managing entities, and ensuring accountability for industrial wastewater discharges into the networks. This process should involve the regulatory authority for water services and, concerning the receiving environment, the environmental authority. It is also important to highlight the national strategy for the management of sludge from treatment plants (currently under development), which seeks to create economically and environmentally sustainable conditions for managing entities.

This objective will be monitored through indicators related to the licensing of water abstraction and discharge points, safe water, wastewater and stormwater discharges, control of autonomous solutions, discharges of wastewater into water bodies, and hygiene services for building installations.

Measures and incentives to achieve this objective

Seven measures are directly associated with this objective, which we describe below based on the version of the plan currently under public consultation.

The first measure is the improvement of drinking water quality (priority 3): This involves enhancing the quality of drinking water to benefit public health through construction interventions and better operation, maintenance, and control of water treatment plants, distribution networks, and other components of the supply system. It also includes adapting to the new Drinking Water Quality Directive. This measure requires a thorough study and the definition of an action plan to comply with the new directive. Continuous attention is essential due to its impact on public health and the challenges posed by emerging pollutants as well as the quantitative and qualitative effects of climate change.

A necessary incentive identified is the amendment of legislation on drinking water quality to transpose the new European directive, including provisions on materials and products in contact with water, and the establishment of properly located sampling points within the water supply network.
The recommended incentives include: Development of a technical guide on improving the operation and maintenance of water treatment plants; Preparation of recommendations for adapting water utilities to the requirements of the new Drinking Water Quality Directive; Preparation of recommendations for adapting analytical laboratories to the new directive’s requirements; Training and capacity building in the operation and maintenance of water networks and treatment plants; Training and capacity building in accredited on-site water sampling to increase responsiveness and reduce costs; Creation of awareness materials for decision-makers on the functioning of water treatment plants; Support actions for innovation in more effective water treatment solutions, particularly in response to emerging pollutants of concern.

A second measure is the improvement of the quality of discharged wastewater (Priority 1): This measure focuses on improving the quality of discharged wastewater to meet the requirements of discharge permits, particularly to reverse the trend of water body degradation and to comply with provisions expected in the revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. This will be achieved through construction works and improved operation, maintenance, and control of wastewater treatment plants, storm overflows, and other components of wastewater systems, as well as through the control of inappropriate inflows—whether stormwater, industrial, or similar—to drainage networks.
It requires constant attention due to its environmental impact, the effects on aquatic ecosystems, the challenges posed by emerging pollutants, and the opportunities brought by introducing circularity into the system. Proper planning of maintenance tasks is essential to minimize the number of treated water discharges and to ensure they occur during periods of lower impact on water bodies.
Actions should also include increasing redundancy in certain system components to reduce emergency discharges and allow for maintenance interventions without direct (untreated) discharges. Particular attention should be given to stormwater or emergency discharges. For this purpose, managing entities must conduct a cadastral survey of storm overflows and carry out a risk assessment of their impact on the receiving environment, especially considering the status of water bodies, and implement measures to minimize such discharges in high-risk situations (e.g., construction of retention or pre-treatment solutions using nature-based approaches).
Managing entities must also keep a record of stormwater or emergency discharges, with automatic reporting to the environmental authority.

A necessary incentive identified is the amendment of wastewater legislation upon the transposition of the revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive.
The recommended incentives include: Development of a technical guide on improving the operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment plants; Preparation of recommendations on the operation, maintenance, monitoring, and self-control of wastewater treatment plants; Preparation of recommendations for adapting wastewater treatment plants to address emerging pollutants of concern;
Preparation of recommendations for the installation and monitoring of stormwater and emergency overflows (whether voluntary or involuntary) to minimize environmental impacts; Development of effective reporting tools for stormwater discharges, with a view toward evolving interoperability; Training and capacity building in the operation and maintenance of wastewater networks and treatment plants; Creation of awareness materials for decision-makers on the functioning of wastewater treatment plants; Support actions for innovation in wastewater treatment solutions, particularly in response to emerging pollutants of concern.

A third measure is the improvement of the quality of discharged stormwater (priority 3):
This measure aims to enhance the quality of discharged stormwater through construction interventions and improved operation, maintenance, and control of networks and other components of stormwater systems, as well as the control of inappropriate inflows. The goal is to maximize the value of investments made in construction, expansion, rehabilitation, renewal, or improvement, considering their environmental and public health benefits.
It requires constant attention to both the quantitative and qualitative impacts of climate change, as well as to opportunities arising from the adoption of circular practices. There is a growing trend toward using green infrastructure solutions instead of conventional drainage systems.
Among other requirements, managing entities must conduct a cadastral survey of stormwater overflows and carry out a risk assessment of their impact on the receiving environment, taking into account the condition of water bodies and the characteristics of the discharged stormwater. Measures should be implemented to control and minimize discharges in higher-risk situations.

A necessary incentive identified is the amendment of legislation on stormwater management following the transposition of the revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, including the requirement for risk assessment of discharges.
The recommended incentives include: Development of a technical guide on improving the operation and maintenance of stormwater systems; Preparation of recommendations on the operation, maintenance, monitoring, and self-control of stormwater systems; Training and capacity building in the operation and maintenance of stormwater systems; Creation of awareness materials for decision-makers on the proper functioning of stormwater systems; Preparation of recommendations on the operation and maintenance of stormwater networks and related infrastructure; Support for innovation in natural (green) stormwater management solutions.

A fourth measure is the improvement of environmental control of water abstraction for supply (priority 2):
This involves regularizing the missing water resource use permits for water abstractions and ensuring their environmental control in terms of both quantity and quality. It also includes protecting the contributing watershed and establishing protection zones, which are essential components for guaranteeing a reliable long-term water supply service.
Improving the environmental conditions of water abstractions leads to a significant reduction in treatment costs and greater reliability of the supply. This measure requires effective coordination with the environmental authority, particularly regarding information sharing and enforcement.

The recommended incentives include: Development of tools to improve access to water resource information relevant for risk assessment of water abstractions; Development of risk management tools for water abstractions within river basins; Training and capacity building in environmental control of water abstractions for supply; Preparation of recommendations on the monitoring of water abstractions.

A fifth measure is the improvement of environmental control of wastewater and stormwater discharges (priority 2):
This measure involves the regularization of missing licenses for both treated and untreated wastewater and stormwater discharges, as well as ensuring environmental control in terms of quantity and quality—recognizing these as resources that must be protected for the benefit of the environment, ecosystems, and public health.
It also includes the production and availability of water for reuse, thereby promoting circularity within the sector. Effective coordination with the environmental authority is essential, particularly regarding information sharing and enforcement.

A necessary incentive identified is the amendment of legislation regarding the definition of stormwater discharge conditions, to be implemented upon the transposition of the revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive.
The recommended incentives include: Development of tools to improve access to water resource information for risk management of wastewater discharges; Development of risk management tools for wastewater and stormwater discharges into water bodies; Training and capacity building in environmental control of wastewater and stormwater discharges; Preparation of recommendations on monitoring of wastewater and stormwater discharges, including emergency overflows; Preparation of recommendations for risk assessment of the impact of emergency (stormwater) discharges on receiving environments; Preparation of recommendations for risk assessment of the impact of stormwater discharges; Development of effective stormwater discharge reporting tools, with a trend toward interoperability.

A sixth measure is the environmental accountability for industrial wastewater discharges into public systems (priority 2): This measure aims to establish conditions for more effective environmental accountability regarding the discharge of industrial wastewater into drainage systems, which can have highly negative impacts on the operation of downstream treatment plants and on compliance with water resource use permits.
Typically involved are the user and producer of the industrial wastewater, the downstream system operator (retail level), the upstream operator (wholesale level), the service regulatory authority, and the environmental authority responsible for water resource management. The goal is to move away from predominantly reactive responses to incidents and from the current difficulty in assigning responsibility for environmental violations.
This measure requires legislative changes to clarify the responsibilities of all involved parties and to improve the legal classification of improper industrial discharges as environmental offenses. It also calls for improvements in: Regulations on the discharge of industrial and similar wastewater into drainage networks; Regulations on the discharge of municipal wastewater into upstream systems; Monitoring plans for these discharges.

Necessary incentives identified include: Amendment of legislation regarding the development of municipal regulations on discharges into industrial and similar wastewater networks, including monitoring plans and inspection chambers; Amendment of legislation on the development of regulations for municipal wastewater discharges in upstream systems, including monitoring plans and inspection chambers; Amendment of legislation to better define environmental infractions related to unauthorized industrial inflows.
Recommended incentives include: Preparation of recommendations on criteria for environmental accountability of unauthorized discharges based on demonstrated cause and effect; Preparation of recommendations for a standard monitoring plan for industrial and similar wastewater; Preparation of recommendations for a standard regulation for discharges into industrial and similar wastewater networks;
Preparation of recommendations for arbitration of conflicts related to discharges of industrial and similar wastewater; Development of awareness materials for decision-makers about the consequences of industrial wastewater discharges into networks; Support for pilot projects on environmental accountability for industrial wastewater discharges into networks; Awareness campaigns focused on identifying and eradicating or minimizing unauthorized industrial inflows.

A seventh and final measure is the improvement of building-level water supply and wastewater drainage systems (Priority 3): This measure involves creating conditions to improve the construction, renovation, rehabilitation, maintenance, and sanitation of plumbing installations within buildings. The goal is to ensure that users benefit fully from public services without degradation of water quality inside buildings, while safeguarding comfort, public health, and the environment.
This includes, in particular, the need to adapt to the new Drinking Water Quality Directive (for example, replacing lead pipes) and taking the opportunity to install equipment with greater water and energy efficiency.

A necessary incentive identified is the amendment of legislation concerning the design, construction, and operation of building-level water supply and wastewater systems, including a cadastral registry with a defined minimum content, as well as periodic maintenance, cleaning, and sanitation (e.g., reservoirs).
Recommended incentives include: Training and capacity building in the design and installation of building-level water supply and wastewater drainage systems; Support for innovation in sanitary installations aimed at improving safety, water efficiency, and energy efficiency; Awareness campaigns promoting improvements in building plumbing networks in terms of water and energy efficiency.

Participation in the public consultation

If you have any comments or suggestions for improving this objective, its measures and incentives, please participate in the public consultation at the following addresses:

https://www.consultalex.gov.pt/ConsultaPublica_Detail.aspx?Consulta_Id=239

https://participa.pt/pt/consulta/projeto-de-resolucao-do-conselho-de-ministros-que-aprova-o-pensaarp-2030

Read the next text in this series, available very soon

PENSAARP 2030: How to ensure the security, resilience, and climate action of the services?