Girona, Salt and Sarrià de Ter create the Water Observatory

The Girona City Council has initially approved, by plenary agreement number 2026000285, of 27 July 2026, the Regulation of the Water Observatory of the Girona System, a permanent body for citizen participation on the integral water cycle promoted by the city councils of Girona, Salt and Sarrià de Ter. The notice has been published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Girona (No. 155, of 13 August 2026, notice No. 7137, CVE BOP-2026_0_155_7137), and the text is now subject to public consultation for 30 business days. If no allegations are submitted, the initial approval agreement will be raised to a final one.

The approval is based on Article 9.2 of the Spanish Constitution and on Article 130 of Royal Decree 2568/1986, of 28 November, which supports the creation of citizen participation bodies in matters of local public interest. The new body, of a consultative, informational and advisory nature, will have its registered office at Carrer de la Cort Reial, 7, in Girona (Civic Centre of the Barri Vell) and will act within the territorial scope of the three municipalities attached to the Girona System. Its agreements will not be binding on municipal governing bodies.

A body for water governance

The Water Observatory of the Girona System is established as a space for participation, consultation, deliberation and proposal on the supply and distribution of drinking water, sanitation, protection and restoration of ecosystems linked to the water system, adaptation to climate change and the guarantee of the human right to water. Its scope also includes green infrastructure, nature-based solutions and the regeneration and reuse of water resources. Its functions include:

• Issue agreements, reports, studies and opinions, which may be submitted to the municipal bodies and be mandatory at the request of the plenary sessions or the service managers.
• Propose priorities for the budget allocations earmarked for the water service and carry out their monitoring and evaluation.
• Be informed of the plans and budget forecasts of the municipal areas linked to the water cycle.
• Prepare proposals on transparency, indicators for public control and evaluation, and promote citizen participation processes.

Composition and organisational structure

Full members will be eight entities, the political groups with municipal representation and the public operators of the urban water cycle of the Girona System:

• Càritas Diocesana de Girona
• Naturalists’ Association of Girona
• Catalan Institute for Water Research
• Water is Life Girona
• Irrigators’ Community of the Séquia Monar
• Alliance against Energy Poverty
• Engineers Without Borders
• UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Human Development

The Observatory is structured into a Presidency —rotating annually among the three town councils, starting with Girona—, Vice-Presidency, Plenary, Standing Committee, Secretariat, Coordination, Governing Board and Thematic Areas. The Plenary will meet at least once a year in a public session, and any citizen may request to speak. Funding will come from municipal budgets, with a specific allocation for the promotion of participation.

Public information and entry into force

The initial approval agreement and the complete regulation are subject to a public information procedure of 30 business days, by means of a notice in the Official Gazette of the Province of Girona, in the Official Journal of the Government of Catalonia, in a daily written media outlet and on the notice board of Girona City Council. Within the same period, the eight entities mentioned are given a hearing, as provided for in the Plenary agreement. If no claims are made, the text will be raised to final status and published in full, in accordance with Law 7/1985, of 2 April, regulating the Bases of Local Government.

The regulation will enter into force the day after its full publication in the BOP and will begin to apply within fifteen days. The edict, processed under file number 2026039395, is signed by Lluc Salellas Vilar on 3 August 2026.

The creation of the Water Observatory comes at a time when the debate on drought, prices and governance of the service in the Girona metropolitan area is at the centre of public attention. With this body, citizens and entities will come to play an active role in the definition, monitoring and evaluation of public water policies in the three municipalities.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Girona, No. 155, 13 August 2026, Local Administration section – Town Councils, pp. 1-12 (official reference: CVE BOP-2026_0_155_7137).