The council of Valpaços in the district of Vila Real declared that the 21-million-euro Maceiras’s dam, which will be constructed in Valpaços, will benefit about 400 agricultural businesses and allow for aircraft refuelling in the event of a fire. António Medeiros, the mayor of Valpaços, clarified that this municipality has long requested the hydro-agricultural project.
As António Medeiros explained, “It is very important for Valpaços, given the current lack of water, not only in Valpaços, but throughout the country, and crops need water to grow. This is one of the largest and most important investments”. Because the town does not currently have a large-capacity water source that would allow aircraft to be supplied with water, the dam will not only provide irrigation for farmers but also support firefighting efforts.
The National Irrigation Program is funding the construction of this massive dam in the municipality, which will cost more than 21 million euros and be the "largest ever undertaken”. Since 2018, the municipality has been researching this idea since agriculture -more specifically, chestnuts, olives, and vineyards - is its primary source of income. The parishes of Santa Maria de Émeres, Água Revés and Crasto, Carrazedo de Montenegro and Curros, Veiga de Lila, and Canaveses are among the 1,125 hectares that are expected to profit from this hydro-agricultural development, which is expected to help about 400 agricultural holdings.
As the local authority shared, “The maximum storage capacity will be 2.8 million cubic meters, allowing for pressurised irrigation throughout the perimeter, without the need for pumping, an advantage over most irrigation perimeters in the country, since there will be no pumping costs, a factor that is very detrimental to most irrigation systems, taking into account the price of energy and maintenance costs”.