Estudo de caso do licenciamento ambiental de sistema de esgotamento sanitário em Fortaleza

Abstract

The conscientious use of natural resources and the minimization of environmental impacts caused by humans have become a global concern in the face of the finite resources provided by the environment. In this context, various international environmental conferences, such as the one in Stockholm in 1972, have been held. In Brazil, with the growing interest in protecting and preserving the environment, the National Environmental Policy (PNMA) was created, establishing guidelines and objectives for environmental management in the country, with pillars in ecology, economy, society, and culture. Among the objectives of PNMA are the protection of biodiversity and pollution control. This work is important for presenting one of the mechanisms to achieve these goals, the Environmental Licensing, more specifically, the Environmental Licensing of Sanitary Sewage Systems (SES). The study aims to present relevant legislation on the Environmental Licensing processes of the Preliminary (LP), Installation (LI), and Operation (LO) licenses in SES, highlighting the application period and difficulties encountered. The study area is the municipality of Fortaleza, with the applicant being the Water and Sewage Company of the State of Ceará (CAGECE), and the Municipal Secretary of Urbanism and Environment (SEUMA) as the licensing authority. Two projects were selected: a Sanitary Sewage System consisting of an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETE) and two Sewage Pumping Stations (EEE), for which the LP, LI, and LI renewal of SES were studied; and another project consisting of only one EEE, for which the process of applying for the regularization of an LO was analyzed. Upon analyzing the relevant legislation and the process of applying for environmental licenses, it was concluded that the documentation required for issuing a license is simpler than for its regularization. Moreover, the average time for license applications varies between 1 to 2 months; however, a longer time was required for the studied Renewal of Installation License due to the non-provision of documents by the Fortaleza City Hall and the transition of the application process from in-person to virtual due to the pandemic.