What Águas de Cascais does

Águas de Cascais, S.A. (AdC) is a privately held Portuguese sociedade anônima that operates as the exclusive municipal concessionaire for water supply, domestic wastewater drainage, and stormwater network maintenance across the entire municipality of Cascais, Portugal. The company is 50/50 owned by AQUAPOR Serviços S.A. and AGS – Administração e Gestão de Sistemas de Salubridade S.A., with no public listing and a headcount in the 101–250 range. Service is delivered through a 1,411 km water distribution network (with 91,000 m³ of storage, 24 pumping stations, and 56 km of transmission mains), a separate 783 km wastewater collection network with 22 lifting stations, and an IPAC-accredited laboratory that has operated since 1998 under NP EN ISO/IEC 17025. The company is certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, NP ISO 45001, and SA8000 since 2008, and has received the ERSAR Selo de Qualidade Exemplar for drinking water.

The company earns revenue primarily through regulated tariffs approved by ERSAR, structured as a fixed availability component plus a variable, usage-based volumetric component with progressive tiers: domestic customers face four tiers (0–5, 6–15, 16–25, and >25 m³/30 days); commerce, industry, and agriculture also have four tiers; parish councils and institutions have two tiers; and state entities and municipal bodies have a single tier. Sanitation is charged at 90% of the water-consumed value, and solid waste (RSU) collection fees – which Águas de Cascais bills and passes through to Câmara Municipal de Cascais – are charged at 32%. Additional revenue streams include contract setup and meter installation fees, infrastructure mapping (cadastro) fees, septic tank cleaning services (free up to six times per year for unconnected customers), and accredited water-quality testing for external customers. GTM is direct-to-consumer across the Cascais municipality via two physical retail stores (Cascais and Carcavelos), a customer portal (aquamatrix.pt), the myAQUA mobile app, telephone support, and online forms, with payments accepted via Multibanco, Payshop, CTT, SEPA direct debit, and MBWay. Approximately 90.6% of distributed water is purchased from EPAL, with the remainder from own catchments and a small SMAS de Sintra supply.

Name

Águas de Cascais

Legal name

AdC – Águas de Cascais, S.A.

Website

https://aguasdecascais.pt

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Águas de Cascais, S.A. is the exclusive municipal water and wastewater concessionaire for Cascais, Portugal, serving residential, commercial, institutional, and public customers across 1,411 km of water network and 783 km of wastewater network under ERSAR regulation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cascais

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Water Supply Tariffs: Revenue from water supply services comprising a fixed component (Tarifa de Disponibilidade – availability tariff based on water meter caliber) and a variable/volumetric component (water consumption charged in progressive tiers). The volumetric component is structured in 4 escalation tiers for domestic customers: 0–5 m3/30 days (1st tier), 6–15 m3/30 days (2nd tier), 16–25 m3/30 days (3rd tier), and >25 m3/30 days (4th tier).
2. Sanitation (Wastewater Drainage) Tariffs: Revenue from wastewater drainage services comprising a fixed component (Saneamento Fixo – sanitation availability charge based on meter caliber and billing period) and a variable component (Saneamento Variável) charged at 90% of the value of water consumed.
3. Municipal Solid Waste (RSU) Collection Fees: Revenue collected on behalf of the Câmara Municipal de Cascais (CMC) for solid waste management services. Includes a fixed component (RSU Fixo) and a variable component (RSU Variável) charged at 32% of the value of water consumed. This is a pass-through revenue where Águas de Cascais acts solely as a billing intermediary.
4. Regulatory Fees (ERSAR and APA): Revenue collected on behalf of regulatory and governmental bodies: Water Quality Control Fee (ERSAR – Entidade Reguladora dos Serviços de Águas e Resíduos) and Water Resources Fees (TRH Água and TRH Saneamento) for APA (Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente). These are pass-through charges where Águas de Cascais acts as a billing intermediary.
5. Septic Tank Cleaning Service (Limpeza de Fossas): Revenue from septic tank cleaning services for customers without sewerage connection, charged per volume of wastewater collected. The first 6 services per year are free for customers without available sewerage; subsequent services are charged per volume.
6. Connection and Contract Fees: Revenue from new contract setup fees including water opening fees (if water is closed) and water meter installation fees (if no meter is installed). Also includes charges for contract termination, meter relocation, and infrastructure inspection services.
7. Cadastro (Infrastructure Mapping) Fees: Fees charged for network infrastructure mapping and registry requests, including digital cartography in vector format, as per the Águas de Cascais tariff schedule.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Águas de Cascais operates as the municipal concessionaire for water supply, wastewater drainage, and stormwater management across the Cascais municipality in Portugal. The company manages a 1,411 km water distribution network, 783 km of wastewater collection network, 24 pumping stations, 22 wastewater lifting stations, and an IPAC-accredited laboratory, serving residential, commercial, institutional, and public-sector customers through retail stores, a customer portal, and the myAQUA mobile app.

Product overview

Águas de Cascais operates as a municipal water utility providing integrated water and environmental services. The core offerings include water supply and distribution, wastewater/sanitation collection, and stormwater drainage services across the Cascais municipality. Digital services are delivered through the myAQUA mobile app and the Área do Cliente web portal, enabling customers to manage contracts, communicate meter readings, view bills, and access support. Supporting services include IPAC-accredited water quality laboratory testing, cesspool cleaning for areas without network access, and technical project processing for property and development infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• myAQUA®: Mobile application for smartphone that allows customers to consult and manage their data, invoices, payments, communicate meter readings and receive alerts

Products and services

• Water Supply (Água) Municipal water supply and distribution service covering the entire Cascais municipality, including water catchment, treatment, and delivery through a 1,411 km distribution network with 24 pumping stations, 91,000 m³ storage capacity, and 56 km of transmission pipelines. Source mix includes own catchments, EPAL purchases, and SMAS de Sintra purchases.
• Sanitation / Wastewater Drainage (Saneamento) Wastewater collection and drainage service managing approximately 783 km of domestic drainage network, 22 wastewater lifting stations, and 13.4 km of force mains, serving 100% of the municipality population with 99.96% of customers connected to the sewer network.
• Stormwater Drainage (Água Pluvial) Stormwater drainage network maintenance service for the Cascais municipality, integrated under the company's scope alongside wastewater and water supply services.
• myAQUA Mobile Application Free smartphone application (Android, iOS, Windows Phone) for customers to manage contracts, communicate meter readings with online validation, view consumption history, receive alerts, access payment references, subscribe to e-invoicing, set up SEPA direct debit, and report anomalies.
• Customer Portal (Área do Cliente) Online self-service portal (aquamatrix.pt) for contract management, billing, payment references, meter reading communication, service requests, and document access including e-invoicing.
• Water Quality Analysis Laboratory (Laboratório) IPAC-accredited laboratory (accreditation code L0213, since 1998 under NP EN ISO/IEC 17025) offering microbiological and chemical water quality analysis for consumers, condominiums, and swimming pools.
• Septic Tank Cleaning (Limpeza de Fossas) Septic tank and cesspool cleaning service for customers without sewerage connection. First 6 services per year are free for AdC customers without available sewerage; subsequent services or services to non-customers are charged per volume of wastewater collected.
• Property Processes (Processos Prediais) Technical services for property development including water and drainage connections, infrastructure inspections, and infrastructure request processing.
• Development Projects (Processos de Loteamento) Infrastructure planning and approval services for land development and subdivision projects in the Cascais municipality.
• Network Registry Requests (Pedidos de Cadastro das Redes) Service providing network infrastructure mapping and registry information, including digital cartography in vector format, per the Águas de Cascais tariff schedule.
• Interactive Service Interruption Map (Mapa de Ocorrências) Real-time interactive map showing water supply interruptions, programmed interventions, and active construction works across the Cascais municipality, with SMS and email alert subscription by location.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% water quality compliance and 100% of wastewater sent for treatment (2024 KPIs)
• +6 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EPAL – Empresa Portuguesa de Águas LivrescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPAL is the primary water supplier to the Cascais municipality, providing approximately 90.6% of the water distributed by Águas de Cascais (as of 2017). It is a major Portuguese water utility operating under the AdP – Águas de Portugal group.
• SMAS de Sintra – Serviços Municipalizados de Água e Saneamento de SintraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMAS de Sintra supplies a minor portion (approximately 0.3% as of 2017) of water distributed in the Cascais municipality, supplementing the supply from EPAL and own catchments.
• Águas do Tejo AtlânticocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerÁguas do Tejo Atlântico manages the Guia wastewater treatment plant and the general interceptor to which Cascais's wastewater network delivers its collected effluents. The company is responsible for treating all wastewater collected by the Cascais sewer network.
• ERSAR – Entidade Reguladora dos Serviços de Águas e ResíduoscoreOthersERSAR is the national regulatory authority for water and waste services in Portugal. It approves the Annual Water Quality Control Program (PCQA), issues the Selo de Qualidade Exemplar award, regulates tariffs, and oversees compliance with Decree-Laws 306/2007 and 152/2017.
• IPAC – Instituto Português de AcreditaçãocoreOthersIPAC is the Portuguese accreditation body that has accredited the Águas de Cascais laboratory under NP EN ISO/IEC 17025 since 1998 (accreditation code L0213).
• APCER – Associação Portuguesa de CertificaçãocoreOthersAPCER, together with IQNet, provides certification of the Integrated Management System (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, NP ISO 45001, SA8000) to Águas de Cascais since 2008.
• Câmara Municipal de Cascais (CMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMC is the municipal government that granted the concession to operate water supply and wastewater drainage services. It receives solid waste fees (RSU) collected via the Águas de Cascais billing system. CMC also co-manages social tariff programs (Famílias Numerosas and Famílias Carenciadas) through a 2010 protocol. CMC jointly operates public drinking fountains (bebedouros) with Águas de Cascais.
• APA – Agência Portuguesa do AmbienteminorOthersAPA is the Portuguese Environment Agency that receives Water Resources Fees (TRH Água and TRH Saneamento) collected by Águas de Cascais on its behalf, which are pass-through charges in customer invoices.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SIMAS Oeiras e Amadora: Intermunicipal water and sanitation services system serving the Oeiras and Amadora municipalities. Operates an analogous concession model with similar retail water supply, wastewater drainage, and customer-facing operations in the Lisbon metropolitan area.
• SMAS de Sintra – Serviços Municipalizados de Água e Saneamento: Municipal water and wastewater concessionaire for the neighboring Sintra municipality. Closely comparable business model, customer segments, regulatory framework (ERSAR), and even a minor wholesale supplier relationship with Águas de Cascais.

Broad incumbents

• EPAL – Empresa Portuguesa de Águas Livres: EPAL is Portugal's largest water utility and supplies approximately 90.6% of the water distributed by Águas de Cascais. Comparable as a regulated municipal water supplier serving the Lisbon metropolitan area under the Águas de Portugal group.
• SUEZ Water Portugal: Portuguese operations of the SUEZ group providing water and waste services to municipalities. Comparable as a regulated municipal water and wastewater operator with similar ERSAR compliance requirements.
• Águas do Norte: Multi-municipality bulk water and wastewater concessionaire in northern Portugal under the Águas de Portugal group. Comparable as a regulated Portuguese water utility, though operating at greater geographic scale and at the wholesale rather than retail stage.
• Veolia Water Portugal: Subsidiary of global environmental services group Veolia, active in Portuguese municipal water concessions. Comparable as a regulated municipal water and wastewater service provider with analogous ERSAR oversight and concession structures.
• AGS – Administração e Gestão de Sistemas de Salubridade, S.A. Public-sector sanitation systems management company holding the other 50% of Águas de Cascais. Comparable as a Portuguese municipal sanitation management group with adjacent concession portfolios.
• AQUAPOR Serviços, S.A. 50% shareholder of Águas de Cascais and a Portuguese water-and-environment services group. Comparable as a holding/operating entity in the Iberian water sector with similar concession exposure.

Regional players

• Câmara Municipal de Lisboa – Departamento de Águas: Municipal water authority for Lisbon operating analogous water supply and wastewater drainage services. Comparable as a Portuguese municipal utility model, though operating at substantially larger geographic and population scale.
• Águas do Tejo Atlântico: Bulk wastewater treatment operator responsible for treating all wastewater collected by the Cascais sewer network. Comparable as a regulated Portuguese water-cycle operator, though operating at the wholesale treatment stage rather than retail distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Águas de Cascais