La Vall d'en Bas definitively approves the water and sewage regulations

The Plenary of the Vall d’en Bas City Council has made definitive the Municipal Regulation of the water supply and sewerage service, once the file passed the public information process without claims or allegations. The full text is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Girona no. 181, of September 21, 2026, with the official reference BOP-2026_0_181_8084 (edict 8084), and enters into force the day after its publication.

The initial approval agreement was adopted by the Plenary on April 7, 2026, within file X2025000812 for the establishment of the service. The file was open to the public for thirty business days, with publication in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya on April 23, 2026, and in the Official Gazette of the Province of Girona and on the electronic edicts board on April 24, 2026. Without allegations, the agreement was automatically elevated to definitive in accordance with articles 49 and 70 of Law 7/1985, regulating the bases of the local regime. The announcement is signed by the mayor, Magdalena Roca Viñals, dated September 16, 2026.

The regulation, consisting of 169 articles and 96 pages, comprehensively regulates the domestic supply of water for human consumption and sewerage, and includes a specific title on saving and efficiency measures, as well as the special regime in cases of emergency or exceptionality due to drought. The services are owned by the Vall d’en Bas City Council and are provided integrally by a single managing entity.

Rights and obligations of subscribers

The text establishes twelve user rights, including:

• Having a permanent service and water in adequate hygienic and sanitary conditions.
• Receiving billing with a frequency not exceeding three months.
• Making inquiries and claims, and requesting the official check or verification of the measuring equipment.

And eighteen obligations, which include:

• Depositing the security bond when formalizing the contract, which in no case may exceed the annual amount of the service fee.
• Keeping seals intact and not tampering with measuring equipment.
• Allowing entry to authorized personnel for readings and inspections.

Claims must be resolved in writing within one month; an administrative appeal may be filed against the response before the Mayor’s Office within one month, with a resolution within three months.

Sanctioning regime

Infractions are classified as minor, serious, and very serious, with the following amounts:

• Users: up to 750 euros (minor), from 751 to 1,500 euros (serious), and from 1,501 to 3,000 euros (very serious), with the obligation to normalize the situation within twenty days.
• Managing entity: the same brackets, with fifteen days to normalize the situation.
• Wastewater: up to 6,010.12 euros (minor), from 6,010.13 to 30,050.61 euros (serious), and from 30,050.62 to 150,253.02 euros (very serious).

The procedure complies with Law 39/2015 and Law 40/2015. In the event of fraud, the managing entity may issue a settlement that cannot extend beyond one year.

Protection against cut-offs and water saving

Before suspending the supply, the managing entity must request a report from the municipal Social Services regarding the risk of residential exclusion; the City Council has fifteen days to issue it and, if it does not, the service cannot be cut off. The prior notice of suspension cannot be less than one month and cut-offs cannot be carried out on a public holiday. Health centers must have a minimum reserve of 24 hours.

The regulation requires the installation of individual metering equipment, pressure regulators, saving mechanisms in taps and cisterns, rainwater collectors, and reuse systems for excess swimming pool water. Supply by estimation is to be phased out and is not permitted in new installations.

Sewerage and discharges

Connection to the municipal sewerage network is mandatory for all buildings and establishments. The text establishes:

• Screening grate with a maximum gap of 50 mm for industries.
• Peak flows that cannot exceed six times the average daily value in fifteen minutes nor four times in one hour.
• Prohibition of diluting discharges and discharging clean water when a technical alternative exists.
• Immediate communication of emergency situations and a detailed report to the City Council within a maximum of seven calendar days.

The regulation aligns with the Regulation for the Discharge of Wastewater in the Garrotxa Region.

Transitional periods

• One year from publication to adapt the supply system to a minimum pressure of 20 meters of water column, with a maximum of 130 mcda in the urban center.
• Two years for the managing entity to obtain the identification documents of all users.
• Three months for the user to respond to the request; if they do not, the suspension procedure begins.

The new regulation affects all subscribers in the municipality, who now have a single framework of rights, obligations, and sanctions for water and sewerage services, with specific adaptation periods and a specific protection regime against cut-offs for households at risk of residential exclusion.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Girona, no. 181, September 21, 2026, Local Administration - City Councils, pp. 1-96 (official reference: BOP-2026_0_181_8084).