Abstract The territory transformation is related to the occupation of the soil, which reflects in the water resources. The Municipal Master Plans (MMP) must contemplate the guidelines outlined in the Water Plans, leading to the sustainable transformation of the territory with less impact on the rivers. This work aimed to analyze the interaction of water and soil plans. The innovation here presented was the use of Significant Water Management Issues (QSiGA) as tool to compare the master plans of the cities of Lisbon-PT and Porto Alegre-BR, located in different realities. The attendance of the QSiGA by the PDM of Lisbon and Porto Alegre was of 77.8% and 61.1%, respectively. Both cities are concerned about the quality and quantity of water, but do not fully observe the national guidelines. We believe in the relevance of this study to the materialization of a method of benchmarking the PDM, which can be used by countries with different realities. We conclude that in light of the non-compliance with the national guidelines, additional studies are needed to establish a methodology that integrates effectively water plans with master plans.