Approved protection of groundwater captures in Arcos de Valdevez

O ministry of Environment approved the delimitation of the protection perimeter of two groundwater captures in the parish of Gavieira, Peneda-Gerês National Park, intended for human consumption, refers to the ordinance today published in Diário da Republica (DR).

According to the document, the delimitation of the protection perimeters, which comes into force on Friday, covers the captures called “Furo F1” and “Furo F2” of the capture pole of Beleiral-Gavieira, located in the municipality of Arcos de Valdevez.

The “water mass where the captures are inserted, Maciço Antico Indifferentiado da Baixa do Lima, was classified under the Management Plan of the Minho and Lima Hydrographic Region, with Good Global State”.

The pickups supply 19 inhabitants, with an average volume of 1.13 cubic meters per day.

“Protection meters are intended to prevent, reduce and control groundwater pollution, including by infiltration of leaching rainwaters and surplus water for irrigation and washing”.

These perimeters aim to “potentialize natural processes of dilution and self-purification of groundwater, prevent, reduce and control accidental discharges of pollutants and, finally, provide the creation of warning and warning systems for the protection of water supply systems from groundwater captures in situations of accidental pollution of these waters”.

According to the ordinance published today in DR, the legal regime for the quality of water intended for human consumption attributed to the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) the risk assessment of the drainage basins of water collection points for human consumption.

That legal regime includes “the georeference of the catchment points in the drainage basins (...) which can only be made known to the Water and Waste Services Regulatory Authority (ERSAR), health authorities, the Food and Economic Security Authority (ASAE), criminal police bodies and public and private water supply management bodies served by the collection points”.

“ In this sense, the APA presented (...) a proposal to delimit the perimeter of protection and their respective conditionings of the two water captures, supported by the studies presented to it by Águas do Alto Minho, entity managing the captures ", reads in the ordinance.

All groundwater captures intended for public supply of water for human consumption, as well as the delimitation of their protective perimeters, are subject to the rules laid down in the existing legislation as well as the Water Law.