Law No. HO-129-N amending Water Code.

Article 37.1 regards the use of groundwater, specifying that they shall be used at the expense of discharge springs and drainage flow, as well as boreholes, through water abstraction from boreholes. Priority use is given to sources of underground waters that have been monitored for one or more years. In the event of termination of water use from a well, work to liquidate or preserve the well is carried out by persons holding a license for construction (of hydraulic structures), at the expense of the water user. Underground waters are mainly used for drinking, medical, municipal and domestic water supply. Article 117 establishes that if the body authorized to exercise functions in the sphere of water relations becomes aware of a violation of the requirements of this Water Code by any person, the head of the body shall immediately, but no later than within three working days, notify this person and inform the Water Resources Department and the environmental authority. The notification shall define the measures aimed at eliminating the violations, the timeframes for eliminating the violations and informing the relevant authorized body about this. The notification requires immediate termination of activities in violation of the requirements of this Water Code until the violations that served as the basis for issuing the notification are eliminated, indicating the damage in the event of failure to terminate the activities. In case of failure to comply with the requirements specified in the notification, the person who received the notification shall be liable in the manner prescribed by law.