Six groups take Alcácer do Sal tangerine orchard to court over water

The lawsuit

Six environmental associations, Água & Sal, Dunas Livres, GEOTA, Quercus, SPEA and Zero, filed a lawsuit on Monday, 2 November, at the Tribunal Administrativo e Fiscal de Beja. The action targets the environmental impact declaration (DIA) issued in August by the Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Alentejo (CCDR Alentejo) for an intensive tangerine orchard in Alcácer do Sal. According to the groups, the declaration came after several reformulations of the project and strong opposition. The associations say their goal is to protect groundwater reserves and to ensure the water is enough for everyone who relies on it. Pedro Horta of Zero explained the background of the DIA to Lusa.

The project

The orchard belongs to Expoente Frugal, part of the Aquaterra group, and covers about 260 hectares of intensive irrigated land at the Herdades de Murta and Monte Novo. Around 165,000 tangerine trees would be planted inside the Comporta-Galé Special Conservation Zone, which belongs to the Natura 2000 network. The DIA, signed on 3 August by the vice-president of CCDR Alentejo, admits the project on condition. It provides for 12 boreholes reaching up to 288 metres deep, three reservoirs and 20 anti-frost fans that would operate from 23:00 to 07:00 between November and February. Expresso reports that the case reaches court three months after the environmental approval.

Water demand and the local supply

The DIA provides for abstraction of up to 1,740 million litres a year from the boreholes, the figure the groups use in their case. The associations compare this with the 886 thousand cubic metres that the public network of Alcácer do Sal distributed in 2023, saying the project could draw almost twice that amount. Grândola's public network distributed 1.9 million cubic metres, a volume close to the project's ceiling. The groups describe the aquifer as being in a critical state and as the only water source for Alcácer do Sal and Grândola, including Comporta, Carvalhal and Melides. Expresso adds that the aquifer is already overexploited. The groups also point out that the DIA itself rated the impact on groundwater as high in magnitude, very significant and certain.

Project maximum under DIA1.74

Grândola public network1.9

Alcácer do Sal public network, 20230.886

Project maximum under DIA

1.74 million cubic metres

Grândola public network

1.9 million cubic metres

Alcácer do Sal public network, 2023

0.886 million cubic metres

Data from the article text

How the project was revised

The project went through several versions before the DIA was issued. The fourth version, presented by the company, cut planned annual consumption from 2,280 to 1,740 million litres and reduced the boreholes from 16 to 12. In the DIA, CCDR Alentejo removed about 35 hectares from the farmland to protect evolving dune habitat and nuclei of two protected plant species. The area therefore fell from 295 to about 260 hectares. The groups argue that the maximum water volume stayed the same, so the smaller footprint did not lower the water ceiling.

What the associations are asking for

The associations want the DIA reassessed and an independent study of the aquifer south of the Sado river before any new licences for large-volume abstractions are issued. They argue that the decision on new licences should wait until that study is complete. To cover the costs of the case, the groups have launched a crowdfunding campaign for legal and procedural expenses. Their stated aim is to protect groundwater reserves and ensure the supply reaches everyone who depends on it.