Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) – Coordinated by Gonçalo de Freitas Leal and Pimenta Machado, with technical teams from APA, DGADR, ARH Algarve, and multiple local partners (2020)
Volume II of PREHAlg provides a detailed catalogue of 51 actionable measures to improve water efficiency across key sectors in the Algarve—urban, agricultural, tourism (including golf), and industrial—under worsening drought conditions. The document outlines short- to medium-term initiatives that reinforce governance, improve monitoring, modernize infrastructure, and promote behavioural change.
Several actions specifically target the golf sector, such as redefining abstraction limits, encouraging treated wastewater reuse, requiring updated irrigation plans, and improving metering and telemetry for water withdrawals. A phased review of water abstraction licenses (TURH) is also planned to align legal limits with evolving climatic and hydrological realities. Other cross-sector measures include installing smart meters, increasing drought education campaigns, evaluating irrigation needs for green areas, and enhancing aquifer recharge zones.
Implementation is coordinated by APA and relies on cooperation with public utilities, municipalities, environmental agencies, and private landowners. PREHAlg’s Volume II transforms strategic goals into concrete interventions and performance indicators, providing a regional blueprint for water resilience in southern Portugal’s most climate-sensitive territory.
