Existing guidelines and regulations in Spain on wastewater reclamation and reuse

One of the points to take into account when the implementation of a wastewater reclamation and reuse project is planned is the absence or the existence of clear regulations. In Spain, the Government issued ten years ago one Law and one Decree where wastewater reuse was indicated as a possibility, and a minimal statement appeared, indicating the need for an administrative concession and a compulsory report of the Health Authorities. An indication was made that further legal developments would be needed. There is a bright future for wastewater reuse in Spain, but at present it is compromised, owing to the fact that the projects are appearing and a lot of difficulties arise because of the need for a more complete legal definition. In Spain there is a strong tendency to decentralise the Administration and give more power to the “Autonomous Governments” (Regional Governments: 17 in the whole country). The decisions and permissions for wastewater reuse are given now case per case depending on the Regional Administrations. Since it is difficult to get such approvals without having definite legal health regulations, several Regional Health Authorities have decided to develop their own guidelines for wastewater reuse for irrigation. At the moment (June 1995) 3 guidelines are operative. The authors describe these three guidelines and discuss their development and the main ideas included. The three approaches are really different in conception and a comparison is made between them as well as with regulations in the Mediterranean Basin and other countries.