Water Act.

An Act to provide for the use, conservation, and protection of water resources. All waters - surface and ground - within the boundaries of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, including the territorial and inshore sea waters, are state, all people's property. The Ministry of Environment and Waters elaborates and implements the government water utilization and reproduction policy, and realises water economic measures (art. 3). A unified long-term water economic plan shall be drawn up by the Ministry of Environment and Waters, together with the ministries, committees, central agencies, and district people's councils and approved by the Council of Ministers (art. 4). Each citizen may, without obtaining special permission, utilize the surface waters to satisfy his hygienic and other needs, to engage in aquatic sports, and for watering places for animals, with the exception of the waters in the storage ponds intended for domestic purposes, and of the waters placed under guard with a view to their use or as a protection against their destructive force (art. 7). The citizens who are owners or users of land areas are entitled to use, without obtaining special permission, the surface and groundwaters on such areas to satisfy the needs of their private farming plots, as well as to build the relevant facilities (art. 7). A prior permission is required for any water utilization through water intake facilities, with the exception of the water utilization under Art. 7. Water utilization for the population's domestic needs takes precedence over other water uses (art. 14). The conservation of water amounts (volumes) is done through afforestation of the catchment areas of rivers, through water accumulation, through planned water utilization and allocation, through economic consumption of water and taking measures to reduce seepage and evaporation in dams and canals (art. 22). Other provisions deal, inter alia, with water pollution, waterworks, and access on land for purposes of waterworks. (42 articles)