Ituero and Lama regulate the regularization of water consumption due to fraud

The City Council of Ituero y Lama has finalized the amendment to the Regulations of the Domestic Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Service, which incorporates a new article dedicated to the regularization of consumption in cases of fraud. The decision is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Segovia number 110, dated September 14, 2026, under reference RE-14544.

As no claims were filed during the public exhibition period, the plenary agreement for initial approval was automatically finalized, in compliance with article 70.2 of Law 7/1985, of April 2, Regulating the Bases of the Local Regime. The full text of the amendment is made public for the general knowledge of the municipal supply users.

The new article 51 bis

The amendment consists of the incorporation of article 51 bis, titled “Regularization of consumption in cases of fraud.” The regulation establishes the procedure for calculating consumption when fraudulent use of the drinking water service is detected.

The calculation applies in two specific scenarios:

• Use of the service without a meter.
• Creation of flow diversions, permanent or circumstantial, before the measuring equipment or device.

Calculation criteria and regularized period

In these cases, consumption is estimated by applying the current rates of the Fiscal Ordinance regulating the fee, based on consumption equivalent to the nominal capacity of the meter that should have been installed according to regulations for the installations used in the fraudulent action. For this purpose, an uninterrupted use of three hours per day is considered.

The calculation extends to the period between the date the fraud is detected and the date of its rectification, and in no case may it cover a period exceeding one year. In addition to consumption, the following shall be payable:

• The fixed fees corresponding to the regularized period.
• Taxes, canons, and other applicable rechargeable concepts.

Sanctions and appeals

Regularization is understood without prejudice to the sanctions, indemnities, surcharges, or liabilities that legally proceed due to the fraudulent conduct. A contentious-administrative appeal may be filed directly against this general provision before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Castilla y León, based in Burgos, within two months from the day following its publication.

The provision, signed by the Mayor, Laura Rubio Valverde, on September 8, 2026, reinforces the municipality’s capacity to combat fraud in the water supply and ensure equity among all users of the domestic supply service.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Segovia, no. 110, September 14, 2026, page 23 (official reference: RE-14544).