The public water supply, urban wastewater and urban waste management services are essential to the well-being of citizens, public health and economic activities. These are generally provided under natural or legal monopoly, so there is no incentive for utilities to search for greater efficiency and effectiveness and as such there is an increasing prevalence of such risks for users. For these reasons, society can significantly benefit from the existence of regulatory intervention capable of introducing greater balance in the relationship between utilities and their users.
The Regulation of Water and Waste Services: An Integrated Approach (Rita-Ersar) presents a practical integrated regulatory approach to these water and waste services. This approach is called the ARIT-ERSAR model and it is capable of contributing to the promotion of access by citizens to these services that is tending towards the universal. These services are provided with suitable quality by utilities at socially acceptable prices and with an acceptable level of risk.
This approach consists of a regulation model with two major areas of intervention: structural regulation of the sector and regulation of the performance of the utilities. The components of structural regulation are contributions to organisation, legislation, information and sectoral capacity building. The performance regulation of utilities consists of legal and contractual regulation, econom
Chapter
Chapter 2:
Water and waste services
2.2 Obligations for Water and Waste Public Services
2.3 Characteristics of the Water and Waste Services
2.4 Stakeholders in the Water and Waste Services Sectors
2.5 Necessary Systems for Water and Waste Services
2.6 Linking the Services with Water Resources and the Environment
2.7 Challenges for Water and Waste Services
2.8 Rights of Water and Waste Services Users
Chapter 3:
Public policies for water and waste services
3.2 International Framework
3.3 Public Policy Components
3.3.2 Adoption of strategic plans for the sectors
3.3.3 Definition of the legislative framework
3.3.4 Definition of the institutional framework
3.3.5 Definition of the governance models for the services
3.3.6 Definition of the access targets and the quality of service goals
3.3.7 Definition of the tariff and tax policy
3.3.8 Provision and management of the financial resources
3.3.9 Construction of the infrastructure
3.3.10 Improving the structural and operational efficiency
3.3.11 Human resource capacity building
3.3.12 Promotion of research and development
3.3.13 Development of the economic activity
3.3.14 Introduction of competition
3.3.15 Protection, awareness and involvement of the users
3.3.16 Provision of information
3.4 Role of Regulation in Public Policies
Chapter 4:
Setting up a regulatory authority
4.2 Need for Regulation of Services
4.3 Regulation Objectives
4.4 Regulatory Mission and Mandate
4.5 Characteristics of the Regulatory Authority
4.5.2 Regulatory principles
4.5.3 Regulatory independence
4.5.7 Public disclosure of accounts
4.6 Organisational Structure of the Regulatory Authority
4.6.5 Organisational model
4.7 Resources of the Regulatory Authority
4.7.3 Financial resources
4.7.4 Physical and technological resources
Chapter 5:
Integrated regulatory approach
5.2 Integrated Approach to Regulation
5.3 Structural Regulation of the Sectors
5.3.2 Regulatory contribution to the organisation of the sectors
5.3.3 Regulatory contribution to the legislation of the sectors
5.3.4 Regulatory contribution to the information of the sectors
5.3.5 Regulatory contribution to the capacity building of the sectors
5.4 Behavioural Regulation of the Utilities
5.4.2 Legal and contractual regulation
5.4.3 Economic regulation
5.4.4 Quality of service regulation
5.4.5 Drinking water quality regulation
5.4.6 User interface regulation
5.5 RITA-ERSAR Regulation Model
Chapter 6:
Regulatory contribution to the organisation of the sectors
6.3 Regulatory Activities and Procedures
6.4 Regulatory Instruments
Chapter 7:
Regulatory contribution to the legislation of the sectors
7.3 Regulatory Activities and Procedures
7.4 Regulatory Instruments
Chapter 8:
Regulatory contribution to the information of the sectors
8.3 Regulatory Activities and Procedures
8.4 Regulatory Instruments
8.5 Regulatory Information System
8.5.2 External modules of the information system
8.5.3 Internal information system modules
8.5.4 Regulator’s website
8.5.5 Advantages of the regulatory information system
Chapter 9:
Regulatory contribution to the capacity building of the sectors
9.3 Regulatory Activities and Procedures
9.4 Regulatory Instruments
Chapter 10:
Legal and contractual regulation
10.2 Regulatory Objectives
10.3 Regulatory Activities and Procedures
10.4 Regulatory Instruments
10.5 Regulatory Synergies
Chapter 11:
Economic regulation
11.3 Regulatory Activities and Procedures
11.4 Regulatory Instruments
11.5.2 General criteria for setting the tariff
11.5.3 Criteria for establishing the tariff structure
11.5.4 Criteria for invoicing services
11.5.5 Economic and financial assessment indicators
11.5.6 Data necessary for assessment
11.6 Regulatory Synergies
Chapter 12:
Quality of service regulation
12.3 Regulatory Activities and Procedures
12.4 Regulatory Instruments
12.5 Quality of Service Assessment System
12.5.2 Quality of service indicators
12.5.3 Data necessary for assessment
12.5.4 Profile of the utility
12.5.6 Contextual factors
12.6 Regulatory Synergies
Chapter 13:
Drinking water quality regulation
13.3 Regulatory Activities and Procedures
13.4 Regulatory Instruments
13.5 Drinking Water Quality Assessment System
13.5.2 Water quality indicators
13.5.3 Water sampling frequency
13.5.5 Water quality aggregate indicator
13.6 Regulatory Synergies
Chapter 14:
User interface regulation
14.3 Regulatory Activities and Procedures
14.4 Regulatory Instruments
14.5 Regulatory Synergies
Chapter 15:
Articulation with third party entities
15.2 Articulation with the Sectors’ Stakeholders
15.3 Articulation with the Environmental Authority
15.4 Articulation with the Water Resources Authority
15.5 Articulation with the Waste Authority
15.6 Articulation with the Public Health Authority
15.7 Articulation with the Consumer Protection Authority
15.8 Articulation with the Competition Authority
15.9 Cooperation between Regulatory Authorities
16.2 Water and Waste Services
16.3 Responsibilities of the Political Power
16.4 Responsibilities of Regulatory Authorities
16.5 Responsibilities of the Utilities
16.6 Responsibilities of the Users
16.7 Common Responsibilities
Annex A:
The evolution of water and waste services in Portugal in the last two decades
2 The New Public Policy for Water and Waste Services
2.2 Adoption of strategic plans for the sectors
2.3 Definition of the legislative framework
2.4 Definition of the institutional framework
2.5 Definition of the governance models for the services
2.6 Definition of the access targets and the quality of service goals
2.7 Definition of the tariff and tax policy
2.8 Provision and management of financial resources
2.9 Construction of the infrastructure
2.10 Improving the structural and operational efficiency
2.11 Human resource capacity building
2.12 Promotion of research and development
2.13 Development of the economic sector
2.14 Introduction of competition
2.15 Protection, awareness and involvement of the users
2.16 Provision of information
3 Results of the Implementation of this Policy
3.2 Evolution of the public water supply policies
3.3 Evolution of waste water services
3.4 Evolution of solid waste management services
3.5 Impact on the environmental quality
3.6 Impact on public health
3.7 Impact of compliance with human rights in access to water and sanitation
Annex B:
The evolution of water and waste services regulation in Portugal
2 Evolution of the Regulation Authority
Annex C:
The bylaw of the Water and Waste Services Regulation Authority (ERSAR)
The Regulation of Water and Waste Services
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