The Azorean Parliament approved on Thursday, by proposal of the Government, the creation of Entity for the Regulation of Water and Waste Services in the Azores (ERSARA), a legal person under public law with legal personality, administrative and financial autonomy.
Subject to the supervision and administration of the Regional Secretariat for the Environment, the ERSARA carry out the regulatory functions and the guidelines for the areas of public water supply, urban waste water and waste in addition to monitoring the quality of water for human consumption drinking in the Region.
Under this regulation, the entities that operate in areas such as water for human consumption, collection and wastewater treatment, as well as the management entities, management operators and the management entities of specific waste streams are subject to the regulation of the ERSARA.
The recently approved legislation also extends to the water sector the functions of the regulatory body that had been created for waste services in the Azores in August 2007, defining the legal and operational rules of the new regulatory body.
In order to provide the ERSARA with the necessary financial resources to fulfil its obligations, regulatory fees to defray the costs associated with the structural, economic regulation and quality of the services were also created by this legal document.
With this legislative initiative, the Government intends to contribute to the establishment of a legal and institutional framework for the regulation of the water and waste sector in the Region, whilst ensuring the protection of public interests with regard to environmental protection, public health and social equality, and enabling the establishment of clear rules for the involvement of all those interested in these matters.
During the presentation of the legal document, the Regional Secretary for the Environment and the Sea revealed that the investments estimated in the Regional Water Plan and in the Strategic Plan for Waste Management in the Azores rise to a total of 400 million Euros.
Álamo Meneses also said that the new regulatory fees represent “a very small amount to reach a large amount, which will ensure the quality and availability of services which are essential for all.”