In recent years water losses have reached what the council has termed as "scandalous numbers", to the order of 47%.

Francisco Martins, chief of staff of Mayor Rosa Palma’s office, told newspaper Sul Informação that this is the "most important tender in the last six years, “not only in quantitative terms, (…) but mainly in qualitative terms”.

He said it will generate a huge technological leap in the management of the county’s water network.