Quercus welcomes the Government’s decision to advance with a study on bulk water supply to the Setúbal district, through the transfer of water from the Castelo de Bode reservoir and the Tagus River.
For Quercus, this is a “strategic and prudent solution, which could contribute to strengthening the region’s water security, diversify the origins of supply and increase the resilience of the systems in times of need, including periods of drought, technical failures or other disruptions in supply, as well as likely limitations in the Iberian Peninsula’s largest aquifer resulting from the impacts of climate change in the Setúbal region in the coming years.”
The Setúbal district faces rising challenges associated with climate change, urban pressure, and increasing consumption needs, which could be aggravated by the location of the new Lisbon Airport in Alcochete. In this context, “it is essential to guarantee a structural, technically sound and environmentally responsible solution capable of meeting the current and future needs of the population and of all economic activities.”
Quercus considers that the solution under study, based on tapping water from Castelo de Bode reservoir and the Tagus River, presents “significant environmental and economic advantages for consumers.” In addition to “allowing greater robustness and flexibility of the existing supply systems, it ends up being the only efficient alternative from an environmental and economic standpoint when compared with the construction of desalination units, which entail enormous environmental impacts, especially regarding the discharge of highly saline effluents,” the organization states in a press release.
The desalination option “would entail substantial investments and very high energy consumption, associated with the intake, treatment and pumping of the water.” These costs “would be reflected in a production cost significantly higher, with likely impact on the final price of water and, consequently, a pronounced increase in tariffs borne by consumers.”
From Quercus’s perspective, the use whenever possible of water sources already available, such as Castelo de Bode and the Tagus River, and provided they are properly assessed and managed sustainably, “constitutes a more environmentally and economically balanced option.” This is a solution that “could ensure greater resilience of supply systems without transferring to households and to businesses the high energy, financial and environmental costs associated with desalination.”
Quercus considers, however, essential that the study be carried out with technical rigor and transparency, including:
– the assessment of current and future supply needs;
– ensuring that ecological flows and ecosystem protection objectives are respected;
– the assessment of the effects of climate change on water availability;
– a transparent comparison of the environmental, energy and economic costs of the different alternatives, including desalination, so that the necessary investment, as well as the high production costs, are made public;
– the definition of measures for water efficiency for the Setúbal region, within the framework of reducing losses and water reuse.
Quercus hopes that this study to be carried out by APA and Águas de Portugal will enable a swift, responsible decision guided by the public interest, ensuring the Setúbal district a public water supply system that is safer, more resilient and sustainable.
