Portugal approved groundwater abstraction in Viana do Castelo

The Environment Ministry has approved the delimitation of a protection zone around a groundwater abstraction point in the parish of Rubiães-Antas, Paredes de Coura, intended for human consumption, according to an ordinance published in the Official Gazette (Diário da República).

By TPN/Lusa, in News · 08 Nov 2026, 12:03 · 0 Comments

Credits: envato elements; Author: Dmitry_Rukhlenko;

According to the publication, the delimitation of the protection zones, which comes into force on 3 November, covers the abstraction point known as “Furo Antas”, part of the Rubiães-Antas abstraction centre, in the district of Viana do Castelo.

“The water body in which the abstraction points are located, the Undifferentiated Ancient Massif of the Lima Basin, was classified under the Minho and Lima River Basin Management Plan as having Good Overall Status,” it states.

The abstraction point supplies 257 people, with an average daily volume of 63.99 cubic metres.

Protection zones aim to prevent, reduce and control groundwater pollution, particularly through the infiltration of leaching rainwater and excess irrigation and washing water.

These zones seek to “enhance the natural processes of dilution and self-purification of groundwater, prevent, reduce and control accidental pollutant discharges and, finally, enable the creation of warning and alert systems to protect water supply systems sourced from groundwater abstraction points in the event of accidental pollution of these waters”, the publication states.

According to the ordinance, the legal framework governing the quality of water intended for human consumption assigns the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) responsibility for assessing the risk of drainage basins supplying water abstraction points intended for human consumption.

That legal framework includes “the georeferencing of abstraction points within drainage basins (…) which may only be disclosed to the Water and Waste Services Regulatory Authority (ERSAR), health authorities, the Food and Economic Safety Authority (ASAE), criminal police authorities and the entities managing public and private water supply systems served by the abstraction points”.

“In this context, the APA submitted (…) a proposal for the delimitation of the protection zone and the corresponding restrictions for the two water abstraction points, based on studies submitted to it by Águas do Alto Minho, the entity managing the abstraction points,” it explains.

All groundwater abstraction points intended for public water supply for human consumption, as well as the delimitation of their respective protection zones, are subject to the rules laid down in current legislation and in the Water Law.