The Portuguese Environment Agency has also granted Herdade Pimenta a license to use this water.

Herdade Pimenta is a family business, located in Alentejo, between Évora and Redondo, which operates over 300 hectares of vineyards and produces around six million bottles per year, exporting 70% of this to over 30 countries around the world. It also produces olive oil.

“In 2017, AdVT started a pilot project, together with Herdade Pimenta S.A., with the aim of reusing water from the São Miguel de Machede WWTP to irrigate its vineyards and olive trees and tackle the water shortage in the region”.

The water production license for reuse for the São Miguel de Machede WWTP for agricultural irrigation was issued on June 1, with the favourable opinions of the Alentejo Regional Health Administration and the Alentejo Regional Directorate for Agriculture and Fisheries.

This license covers the flow treated at the WWTP and presupposes a set of conditions, such as a Monitoring Plan and a Risk Assessment.

“This pilot project […] managed to bring together two distinct areas (wine growing and the use of treated wastewater) in a joint circular economy solution, which may be implemented in the future in other places, namely in other areas of the Alentejo or an area AdVT's activities”, according to the company.

AdVT is responsible for managing around 40% of the WWTP of the Águas de Portugal Group.