In Portugal, all water wells are subject to the Water Law – Law no. 58/2005 –, which sets out the framework for managing surface water, namely inland, transitional and coastal water, as well as groundwater.

In terms of licensing, there are authorisation, license or concession permits, issued according to the type of use.

Private water wells with equipment whose power does not exceed 5BHP are only subject to a prior notice, as long as they do not have a significant impact on the existing water conditions.

All other situations require an Authorisation - in the case of water well construction of infrastructure deployment -, or a License - in the case of wastewater disposal, waste immersion, artificial groundwater recharge or injection, extraction of inert materials and landfills or excavation works.

In mainland Portugal, the entity responsible for the licensing of water resources is the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), through the Regional Hydrographic Administration Departments.

All the detailed information regarding instructions and forms may be found at APAmbiente. Prior notice and planning applications must be submitted through the SILIAmb platform, at the following address: https://siliamb.apambiente.pt

Sondagens Casal always provides logistical support throughout all the stages of any planning application by offering consultancy and counselling services.