In November 1999, Águas de Niterói was commissioned to take care of water distribution and wastewater collection and treatment in the city of Niterói, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. With a population of 482,000 people, the city stands out in quality of life rankings, with one of the best sanitation services in the country. Over the concession period, we have invested more than BRL 1,4 billion.
The city of Niterói is supplied by the Imunana-Laranjal system, operated by CEDAE. Through the Imunana canal, the system pumps untreated water taken from the Macacu River, which, in turn, receives water from the Guapiaçu tributary — to the Água Laranjal Treatment Plant in São Gonçalo. Of the total volume of water treated by the Laranjal Water Treatment Plant, 2,100 liters per second are sent to Niterói.
In the first three years of operation, Águas de Niterói managed to bring treated water to 100% of the population, going over the 72% index witnessed before the concession. For this, the water distribution system fully covered the areas of the Oceanic Region, Pendotiba and Várzea das Moças.
The company built 450 km of water distribution systems, 12 km of water mains and delivered about 30,000 household connections.
Águas de Niterói reached one of the lowest rates of water waste in the country. When it took over in 1999, the index was 40% and dropped to less than 25%.
Before the arrival of Águas de Niterói, the city’s sewage collection and treatment system covered as little as 35% of the population but it has reached an important level. Through nine treatment plants, the company provides 95,5% of the population with wastewater collection and treatment. Águas de Niterói invested in construction works to expand the Toque-Toque Wastewater Treatment Plant to absorb the city’s growth and upgraded the Icaraí Wastewater Treatment Plant, supporting the clean-up of the Guanabara Bay.
Other investments were made, such as the construction of the Wastewater Treatment Plants of Itaipu, Camboinhas, Jurujuba, Barreto, Maria Paula, Sapê and the renovation of the Mocanguê Wastewater Treatment Plant. We built 280 km of sewage systems and 46 sewage pumping stations.
All the work done in the area brought important achievements to the city. In 2023, Niterói ranked 4th in the country, and 1st in the state, acording to the Sanitation Ranking published by Instituto Trata Brasil.
- Concession date: November 5th, 1999
- City: Niteroi (RJ)
- Population: 482.000 people
- Wastewater treatment plants: 9
1999
Águas de Niterói started to run water distribution and wastewater collection and treatment services in the city on November 5th, 1999. At the time, only 72% of the population was served with water supply and only 35% had sewage collection.
2000
In October 2000, Águas de Niterói kicked off a program to prevent sewage dumping into the beaches of the southern coast. The Boa Viagem, Flechas and Icaraí beaches got cleaned of the sewage that used to be dumped there. These interventions resulted in positive rates of cleanliness in those beaches, which had been improper for bathing for more than 15 years.
2001
From 2000 to 2001, the utility completed a range of projects that supported 130,000 inhabitants in 14 suburbs in Região Oceânica and Pendotiba. The projects include the construction of a 13-km water main and 490 km of water distribution systems; the construction of a 2,400 HP pumping station, two reservoirs of three million liters each and 40 water boosters. Águas de Niterói completed 40,000 household connections.
2002
The year of 2002 witnessed the startup of two Wastewater Treatment Plants: the Camboinhas WWTP (in February) and the Mocanguê WWTP (in April), the first plant to operate in Brazil at the tertiary level.
2003
In November 2003, Águas de Niterói reached the important milestone of 100% coverage in terms of treated water, population and area, by supplying water to the suburbs of Várzea das Moças and Rio do Ouro. To do this, it laid over 30 km of distribution pipelines, built two reservoirs and completed 1,600 household connections. At the same time, the company invested in the expansion of the Sewage System. Although it was not in the contract, the company finished off the Icaraí Wastewater Treatment Plant, started in August 2003. That was an important contribution to the clean-up of the Guanabara Bay.
2004
The Itaipu Wastewater Treatment Plant was started in January 2004. In May, it was time to start up the Toque-Toque Wastewater Treatment Plant in the city Center.
2005
The Jurujuba Wastewater Treatment Plant started operations in January 2004.
2006
In partnership with the local government, Águas de Niterói opened up the Eduardo Travassos Municipal Park, also known as Parque das Águas, or Water Park, on June 8, 2006. The park is located in Morro da Detenção, in the city Center, and holds the city’s largest water reservoir.
The Barreto Wastewater Treatment Plant began to be built in January 2006 and treats the sewage collected from the suburbs Barreto and Engenhoca.
The Rumo Náutico Institute/Grael Project, supported by Águas de Niterói and Companhia de Limpeza de Niterói (Clin), started the project Niterói Águas Limpas (Clean Waters for Niterói), which monitors the flow of floating waste on the local beaches.
2007
Niterói was one of the first Brazilian cities to reach the goal of 90% of the sewage collected and treated with the startup of the Barreto WWTP in February 2007. The newly started unit benefits 50,000 people from the suburbs Barreto and Engenhoca.
2008
Águas de Niterói signed an agreement with the State Department of Environment to carry out the environmental recovery of the Macacu River basin, the main source of water for the Niterói supply system. The project, prepared by the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, includes reforesting the banks of the Macacu River and setting up a River Park.
2009
This year, to keep up with the city’s continuous growth, Águas de Niterói completed expansion of a wastewater treatment plant in the central area of Niterói, the Toque-Toque Wastewater Treatment Plant, delivering a treatment capacity that outweighs the current volume of wastewater produced in the city.
Also, in 2009, a survey commissioned by the Federal Government and the sanitation departments reported that Niterói stands out in improvements in the coverage of water and sewage systems.
2010
Two new water reservoirs were built in 2010: the Correção and Caramujo reservoirs. Together, they increased the city’s capacity by 9 million liters. Besides that, 40 new pumping units were set up to improve supply services in high-up locations, especially to serve the Região Oceânica area.
Giving a facelift to the beaches of Niterói by removing the floating waste from the Guanabara Bay is the objective of the Águas Limpas Project, launched this year by Águas de Niterói, in collaboration with the Grael Project, Rio’s Public Attorney’s Office and Companhia de Limpeza de Niterói (Clin).
The utility also upgraded the Operational Control Center and started the Sanitation Master Plan, which involves the construction of small wastewater treatment plants in Pendotiba in order to universalize the service.
2012
All the work that Águas de Niterói has been doing in the area has resulted in important achievements in the city, which in 2012 was among the top 20 in the country in terms of sanitation, in a ranking released by Instituto Trata Brasil.
2013
The water flow to the city increased from 1,800 liters per second to 2,100 l/s.
The utility built the São Francisco and Pendotiba reservoirs, totaling 6 million liters, and the Pendotiba – São Francisco water main. The Pendotiba reservoir center was expanded. The utility launched the Jurujuba Inlet Clean-up Program.
2014
In 2014, the utility expanded the Itaipu reservoir center by building another 3 million liter reservoir and finished off the expansion and capacity upgrade of the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Itaipu. This initiative allowed an increase in flow from 80 to 160 liters per second. A portion of the waste resulting from the entire treatment process will be used as reuse water in the WWTP, as well as to water gardens, wash roads and in industrial processes.
In the same year, the construction of the Maria Paula Wastewater Treatment Plant and the sewage system of Pendotiba were kicked off.
In the new customer service center of Itaipu, Águas de Niterói set up a modern water meter checking bench. This facility consists of two checking lines that conduct technical studies to ensure better management of the water meter pool, improve the design and selection of technologies and, consequently, more efficient measurement of water consumption.
2015
In 2015, the sewage system of Ilha da Conceição was put into service. It has 8,914 meters of collection pipelines and seven sewage pumping stations.
In August, the utility began the upgrade of one of the main water pumping units that supplies water to the southern suburbs and the city center — the Correção I Booster.
At the end of the year, the utility started its eighth Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Maria Paula WWTP, which will be the first to integrate the sewage system of Pendotiba. The plant is designed to treat 35 liters per second and can reach 60 l/s at peak times.
2016
On March 3rd, the company put into service a new water main at Rua Dr. March, in Barreto. With an investment of BRL 1.7 million, the equipment improved water supply in Barreto, Engenhoca, Tenente Jardim and Fonseca. The water main will benefit more than 30,000 inhabitants with a flow of 150 liters of water per second.
Águas de Niterói set up, on March 7th, a new pumping unit located at Rua Fagundes Varela, with 125 HP and capacity of 250 liters per second. This unit will support water supply in Ingá, São Domingos and Boa Viagem, and will allowing greater operational flexibility, improving supply in the southern suburbs and in the city center.
On March 16th, Águas de Niterói started the operation of the Maria Paula Wastewater Treatment Plant, the city’s eighth WWTP and the first to join the Pendotiba wastewater treatment system.
Águas de Niterói also finished, on April 11th, the upgrade of the Jurujuba Treatment Plant (Jurujuba WWTP). With a total investment of BRL 1 million, the unit, which had been operating for 12 years, started to operate with a new bacterial fixation technology and a depth filter. The latter uses an Israeli technology that ensures greater retention of solid waste to make it possible to reuse treated waste.
On July 25th, the utility set up a sandbox on the São Francisco Canal, in Niterói. The initiative aims to retain the sand brought by the water flow, preventing it from reaching the canal mouth. The sandbox avoids silting and prevents much of the waste from getting into the collection system, clogging up the collecting pipes and protecting the pumps from early wear and tear.
In October, the utility started the second phase of the Correção I Booster upgrade. The booster is a water pumping unit that supplies water to southern suburbs and the center of Niterói.
2017
On July 31st Águas de Niterói started the Campo de São Bento Canal Clean-up.
On September 27th, in partnership with the City of Niterói, the utility started building the Sapê Wastewater Treatment Plant. Scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018, the unit will be the ninth of the city and will be able to handle 63 liters per second, serving around 30,000 people from Sapê, Ititioca, Santa Bárbara and Caramujo.
The company also started, on October 6th, the facelift project at the Eduardo Travassos Water Park, located at the top of Morro da Detenção, in the city center.
2018
In March 2018, the company began the second phase of the Camboinhas Wastewater Treatment Plant’s Expansion and Modernization project.
Águas de Niterói, in partnership with Instituto Rumo Náutico/Grael Project, and support from Companhia Municipal de Limpeza Urbana de Niterói – CLIN and Clube Naval de Charitas, placed, on June 4th, the boat that removes floating trash from the Bay of Guanabara back to sea. The initiative is part of the Águas Limpas Project and aims to map, monitor and collect floating solid waste in the Jurujuba and Icaraí coves, in addition to providing environmental education activities for Grael Project students.
2019
Niterói was awarded, on March 28th, in São Paulo, in the ABES Ranking for the Universalization of Sanitation. The city is the only one in the state identified as one of the 29 Brazilian cities towards the universalization of basic sanitation services.
The city gains its ninth Wastewater Treatment Plant, in Sapê, inaugurated on June 5th, World Environment Day, in Pendotiba. To implement the system, Águas de Niterói invested UBL 36 million. The unit has the capacity to treat up to 63 liters of sewage per second, serving the neighborhoods of Sapê, Ititioca, part of Santa Bárbara and Caramujo.
Águas de Niterói inaugurated, on September 24th, the modernization and expansion works of the Camboinhas Wastewater Treatment Plant, in the Oceanic Region. The BRL 20 million project increased the unit’s treatment capacity from 115 liters of sewage per second to up to 295 l/s.
2020
Águas de Niterói began, in September, to work on the implementation of the Badu Sewage Pumping Station. With the new pump, the company will serve the neighborhoods of Largo da Batalha, Maceió and Cantagalo, making Niterói move towards universal sanitation. With the completion of the system, the effluent will be treated at the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Icaraí.
To help combat the spread of the coronavirus, Águas de Niterói donated kits containing a total of 28,000 liters of bleach and 35,000 soaps to the City Hall in April. The hygiene and cleaning products were donated to needy communities in the city. In Niterói, the government was responsible for distributing the donations, which were delivered to medical institucions.
In April, the company also cleaned streets in the neighborhoods of Centro, Itaipu, Sapê, Maria Paula and Jurujuba, in further support to combat the new coronavirus in the city. Águas de Niterói prioritized areas around its Wastewater Treatment Plants for cleaning. Furthermore, the company promoted the action around ETE Barreto, in the North Zone of the city, on Luiz Palmier, Guimarães Jr. and Dr March streets, where there are buildings with a large concentration of people. In the South Zone, disinfection was carried out in Icaraí, on the streets Lemos Cunha, Gavião Peixoto, Ary Parreiras and Carlos Halfeld, where a large number of elderly people live.
2021
Águas de Niterói expanded the Water Supply System and implemented new pumping units in the water distribution system; Hydraulic Modeling of the Distribution System in the Oceanic Region with a focus on reducing the rate of distribution losses and operational improvement. The company also renovated the Pumping Unit Reservoir and Shelters, in addition to implementing 44 new Monitoring Points through Measurement and Control Districts and 67 new Pressure Points (PP) and installing 17 new Pumping Units.
In the sewage collection and treatment system, the company expanded Sanitary Sewage Collection and Transport Networks in the Maria Paula, Sapê and Badu Basins. Implemented new Sewage Pumping Stations and modernized the monitoring of Preventive Cleaning of the Sewage Collection System. The “Se Liga” Project was resumed in partnership with INEA, after being stopped due to the Pandemic and the “Ligado na Rede” Project was operationalized in partnership with the Municipal Environment Secretariat. Águas de Niterói also carried out the automation of the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Jurujuba, as well as the acquisition and installation of modern Electromagnetic Flow meters at the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Icaraí, in addition to hydraulic interventions, sanitary sewage and infrastructure donation for Praia do Sossego in support of the Municipal Secretariat for Environment Environment (SMARHS), achieving the “blue flag” environmental quality seal.
Aiming to provide greater safety, well-being and comfort for customers, the company opened a new store with modern facilities. The company also promoted, throughout the year, the “Comunidade Legal” Project in Jurujuba, offering various commercial services to customers, such as: debt negotiation, change of ownership, inclusion of social tariff and request for a new water connection.
Águas de Niterói won, in the second half of 2021, the National Sanitation Quality Award – PNQS 2021, Level I – Bronze, in the “The Best in Environmental Sanitation Management (AMEGSA)” category. To end the year, the concessionaire sponsored the New Year’s Eve fireworks display in Niterói, with the theme “New Year’s Eve of Life”, paying tribute to all the families who lost a loved one as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
2022
In 2022, the company Águas de Niterói continued the improvement works in the city, with the continued implementation of the Badu Sewage System, which will benefit more than 20 thousand residents of the Badu, Pendotiba, Maceió and Largo da Batalha neighborhoods. Around 18 km of sewage collection network have already been installed in the region, out of a total of 40 km planned. The investment is more than BRL40 million.
Other projects carried out in 2022 include the hydraulic modeling of the Oceanic Region Distribution System, the revitalization of the Conceição Island Supply System, and specific expansions in the Fonseca, Sapê and Maria Paula Sanitary Sewage System. Furthermore, Águas de Niterói made improvements to operational units, which positively impact the lives of the population and the municipality.
In June 2022, the company started the social arm of the ‘Ligado na Rede’ program. Started in the Jacaré neighborhood. The project aims to install, for free, 600 new sewage connections in local communities. In total, 100 connections were made by the end of 2022. ‘Ligado na Rede’ is a partnership between Águas de Niterói and the Secretariat for the Environment, Water Resources and Sustainability (SMARHS). Connections are made to the sewage system of residences occupied by low income families who live in areas that have influence on the Niterói Lagoon System.
Niterói consolidated itself as the first place among the cities in the state of Rio de Janeiro in the Sanitation Ranking of Instituto Trata Brasil, a survey that evaluates the 100 largest Brazilian cities.
Águas de Niterói won, in the second half of 2022, the Silver Quíron Trophy – Level II, in the National Sanitation Quality Award (PNQS) 2022, in the Best in Environmental Sanitation Management (AMEGSA) Classic category. To end the year, the concessionaire sponsored the New Year’s Eve 2023 fireworks display in Niterói, with the theme “New Year’s Eve for peace”.
Niterói’s wastewater collection and treatment system includes 9 plants, reaching the impressive milestone of 90% of waste collected and treated in the city.
Learn more about the units:
Barreto WWTP
- Located in: Barreto
- Maximum Treatment Capacity: 85 l/s
- Suburbs served: Barreto and Engenhoca
- Type of treatment: Secondary level, with removal of 90% organic matter
Camboinhas WWTP
- Located in: Camboinhas
- Maximum Treatment Capacity: 116 l/s
- Suburbs served: Piratininga, Camboinhas, Jacaré, Cafubá and Jardim Imbuí
- Type of treatment: Tertiary treatment. In addition to removing 90% of organic matter, this unit removes nitrogen and phosphorus compounds
Icaraí WWTP
- Located in: Icaraí
- Maximum Treatment Capacity: 1,350 l/s
- Suburbs served: Boa Viagem, Charitas, Cubango, Icaraí, Ingá, Santa Rosa, São Francisco and Vital Brazil
- Type of treatment: Chemically assisted primary treatment. The plant dumps treated waste in the marine outfall of Icaraí
Itaipu WWTP
- Located in: Itaipu
- Maximum Treatment Capacity: 294 l/s
- Suburbs served: Itaipu, Itacoatiara and Engenho do Mato
- Type of treatment: Tertiary level. In addition to removing 90% of organic matter, the unit removes nitrogen and phosphorus compounds
Jurujuba WWTP
- Located in: Jurujuba
- Maximum treatment capacity: 30 l/s
- Suburbs served: Jurujuba
- Type of treatment: Secondary level, with 90% removal of organic matter
Mocanguê WWTP
- Located in: Ilha de Mocanguê
- Maximum treatment capacity: 30 liters per second
- Suburbs served: Mocanguê navy base
- Type of treatment: Secondary level, with 90% removal of organic matter
Toque-Toque WWTP
- Located in: City center
- Maximum treatment capacity: 525 liters of wastewater per second
- Suburbs served: Centro de Niterói, Ponta D’Areia and some areas in Fonseca
- Type of treatment: Secondary level, with 90% removal of organic matter
Maria Paula WWTP
- Located in: Maria Paula
- Maximum treatment capacity:63 liters of wastewater per second per module (three module)
- Suburbs served: Maria Paula, Matapaca, Vila Progresso and Muriqui
- Type of treatment: Secondary level, with 90% removal of organic matter
Sapê WWTP
- Located in: Sapê
- Maximum treatment capacity:63 liters of wastewater per second
- Suburbs served: Sapê, Ititioca, parte de Santa Bárbara e Caramujo
- Type of treatment: Secondary level, with 90% removal of organic matter