In a ceremony held last Friday, attended by the State Secretary for the Environment, among other dignitaries, Infraquinta, Quinta do Lago’s water-management company, was awarded a certificate to formalise its unique quality.
It has now been rebranded ÁguaIQ and is deemed the safest in the country for human consumption, currently supplying some 2,000 homes in Quinta do Lago.
Its quality, according to the resort, is endorsed from its origin to consumers’ taps, with the new certificate representing “a step above
excellence”.
To achieve the award, Quinta do Lago’s water is tested ten times more frequently than required by law and in more than 4,000 parameters, including some which are not compulsory by law, such as Legionella, Salmonella and Giardia.
Infraquinta president, Miguel Piedade, told a packed press conference: “So you have an idea, while the water quality control plan required by law requires Infraquinta to carry out 24 analyses per year, our safety plans require 286 analyses and, nevertheless, Infraquinta plans to carry out, in 2017, 310 analyses.”
Loulé Mayor, Vítor Aleixo, praised the “great achievement” and said it should be rolled out throughout the municipality: “First by other municipal companies that serve coastal tourist areas, then throughout the county.”
State Secretary for the Environment, Carlos Martins, recalled that only “40 years ago, half of the Portuguese population didn’t have tap water and those who did, a good part had a dubious
quality.”
“Today 95 percent of homes are connected to the public water network and 99 percent of the water is guaranteed fit for human consumption.”
This, the State Secretary stressed, is what helped place Portugal’s water sector eighth among 258 countries in terms of
performance.