Citores del Páramo regulates agricultural water rates with NFC cards

The Neighborhood Council of Citores del Páramo has definitively approved the fiscal ordinance regulating the fee for the use of the water loading point for agricultural use, a scarce and costly resource for the countryside. The full text is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Burgos number 168, dated September 4, 2026, with reference BOPBUR-2026-03678, and comes into force on the day of its publication.

The ordinance was provisionally approved on June 10, 2026, and subjected to public consultation for thirty business days via an announcement in BOP number 118, dated June 25, 2026. As no claims or allegations were presented, the agreement is considered definitively approved in accordance with article 17.3 of Royal Legislative Decree 2/2004, of March 5, which approves the revised text of the Law regulating Local Treasuries. The document is signed by the village mayor, David López Hurtado, on August 25, 2026.

A limited and expensive resource

The statement of reasons recalls that the amount of water in Citores del Páramo is very limited and its cost is high, as it undergoes decalcification and denitrification processes and pumping that can place the price of each cubic meter above one euro. Therefore, the regulation limits its use exclusively to agricultural purposes and protects the loading area by prohibiting the cleaning of machinery, the cleaning of sprayers, and discharges on the plot.

Rates and exemption for farmers

The fee is determined based on two concepts: the issuance of the enabling NFC card and water consumption. The following rates are established:

• First NFC card: free.
• Replacement due to loss, theft, or misplacement: 50.00 euros.
• Water consumption: settled annually by multiplying the cubic meters consumed by the price per cubic meter for industrial activity according to the current supply and sanitation ordinance.

Farmers legally registered by the neighborhood council are exempt from paying the water consumption fee, provided that the use is exclusively for authorized purposes. The exemption must be requested via a responsible declaration along with supporting documentation of farmer status, and the council may verify and revoke it at any time.

Permitted uses and sanctioning regime

The use of water is limited to loading for agricultural purposes of land spraying by authorized farmers. The loading of drums or tanks, the irrigation of orchards or plots, the cleaning of agricultural machinery, and the use or discharge of chemical products within the premises are prohibited. Infractions are classified into three grades:

• Minor: fine of up to 750 euros.
• Serious: fine of up to 1,500 euros.
• Very serious: fine of up to 3,000 euros.

The Alcaldía Pedánea (Local Mayor’s Office) is the competent body to impose sanctions and may revoke the NFC card and cancel the authorization of use in cases of serious or very serious infringement, failure to comply with exemption requirements, established debt with the board, or falsification of documentation, following a ten-business-day hearing process.

The regulation, which is of indefinite application, reinforces the control of a strategic resource for the region’s countryside, ensuring that municipal water is allocated solely to the agricultural activity of registered farmers and penalizing improper uses.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Burgos, no. 168, September 4, 2026, section III. Local Administration, page 31 (official reference: BOPBUR-2026-03678).