The Entity for Regulation of Water and Waste Services of the Azores (ERSARA) will award the Quality Seal for Water intended for Human Consumption to the municipalities of the archipelago that stand out for their excellence next Monday, May 30.
 
The public ceremony will take place at João José da Graça Public Library and Regional Archive in Horta at 9 PM and will precede the 4th Technical ERSARA Seminar on "Water and Waste in the Azores - Progress and Challenges" to be held on the following days.
 
The award was created by ERSARA to reward the merit of managing bodies, which includes municipal councils, municipal services and municipal companies, for the quality of public water supply systems. It also aims to improve the quality of their performance.
 
The seal, which will be awarded for the first time by the competent authority for the quality of water for human consumption, aims to reward the management bodies of public water supply systems that have stood out themselves in the provision of quality water to consumers.
 
The "Quality Seal for Water intended for Human Consumption" ensures that the water provided by these entities is subject to strict quality control as well as to regular laboratory tests, thus complying with the most demanding national and European legal requirements.
 
Furthermore, the initiative also aims to promote increased consumer confidence in the quality of the public water supply system, taking into consideration the protection of public health and environmental preservation goals.
 
On 31 May and June 1, the 4th Technical ERSARA Seminar will take place at Teatro Faialense. Its programme includes speeches delivered by speakers with expertise in matters related to water and waste management systems at national and international level.
 
This biennial initiative of ERSARA is an opportunity for discussion and exchange of knowledge and experiences with potential to improve operational solutions required to implement the regulation of water and waste services in the Region.
 
It also aims to improve the performance of regulating entities and encourage the participation and involvement of the public in water and waste matters.
 
This year, the Azores host the 8th General Assembly of the European Network of Entities for the Regulation of Water (WAREG) on Faial. On June 2 and 3, the event brings together regulating entities from Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Scotland Ireland, England, Northern Ireland, Belgium, Malta, Greece, Hungary, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark, Montenegro, Moldova and Croatia.
 
For further information, those who are interested should consult the address http://stersara.16mb.com/.