Order No. 37/2015 creating the Regional River Basin Councils (CRH).

This Order, consisting of 9 articles and one Annex, creates the River Basin Councils (CRH) established by Decree-Law No. 56/2012 and regulates their functioning. It establishes composition, duties and responsibilities of the above mentioned CRH which are advisory and supporting bodies of the Portuguese Environment Agency, IP (APA IP) in terms of water resources. It defines the river basins integrated in the respective areas of jurisdiction in order to cover all the National territory, as follows: Council of Northern Hydrographic Region; Council of the Central Hydrographic Region; Council of the Western areas and Tagus River Basin; Council of the Hydrographic Region of Alentejo; Council of the Hydrographic Region of the Algarve. Their competencies are as follows: participating in the development of river basin management and other plans for water management, issuing opinions; participating in the development of programs of measures with a view to its future implementation; promoting and monitoring the development of procedures and information on the evaluation of the implementation of measures for water resources programmes, etc.