Regional Act No. 16 laying down provisions relative to the organizational and functional restructuring in matter of soil protection and water domain.

The present Regional Act has been enacted in order to rearrange the functions in matter of soil protection and water domain and related organization. The Act consists of the following seven Titles : (I) General provisions; (II) Provisions in matter of soil protection; (III) Provisions on water domain management; (IV) Functions and arrangement with respect to soil protection and management of the water domain; (V) Penalties; (VI) Financial provisions; (VII) Final and transitory provisions.
Water bodies and soil are hereby considered by the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region as an important resource to safeguard and use without jeopardizing future generations' rights. All surface and underground waters constitute public waters (art. 4). Article 2 defines the functions which shall be exercised by the Region, such as construction, maintenance and management of waterworks, issuance of concessions, protection of coasts. Article 5 provides for the establishment of the Basin Authority. Further, article 12 specifies the purposes and the content of Regional Basin Plans, which shall aim in particular at preserving, protecting and improving water bodies and ensuring the proper use of water resources. Priority must be given to human consumption (art. 17). To intake water and research underground waters a concession or an authorization, as the case may be, shall be required.