Vilamaniscle approves the ordinance against water waste during drought

The City Council of Vilamaniscle has definitively approved the Municipal Ordinance regulating infractions for the waste of network water in drought situations, which classifies minor, serious, and very serious infractions with fines of up to 3,000 euros. The regulation, signed by the mayor Ramon Bonaterra i Moltó, is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Girona no. 170, of September 3, 2026, edict 7665 (CVE BOP-2026_0_170_7665), pages 1 to 8.

The Municipal Plenary, in an ordinary session held on January 10, 2024, initially approved the ordinance and submitted it for public information for thirty business days via an announcement published in the BOP no. 14, of January 19, 2024, edict 258. As no claims or suggestions were presented, the initial approval agreement became definitive without the need for a new plenary agreement, in accordance with article 49.c of Law 7/1985, of April 2, regulating the bases of the local regime.

Scope and water use restrictions

The ordinance applies during periods of alert, exceptionality, and emergency set by the regional administration, and derives from the municipal Emergency Plan for drought situations and the Special Action Plan for alert and eventual drought situations (PES), approved by the Generalitat de Catalunya through agreement GOV/1/2020, of January 8. In case of interpretative doubt between the two plans, the most restrictive shall prevail.

During these periods, measures may be adopted such as:

• Limiting or prohibiting the filling of swimming pools, ponds, and fountains without automatic shut-off.
• Restricting the watering of gardens, lawns, orchards, and green areas, with survival watering only from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. and via drip irrigation or watering can.
• Prohibiting the watering of lawns, except for federated sports surfaces, without exceeding 450 m³/ha/month.
• Prohibiting the use of drinking water for ornamental fountains, cleaning of roads, and washing of vehicles, except when performed by companies dedicated to this activity.

Infractions and sanctions

The regulation classifies infractions into three degrees. Minor infractions include, among others, washing vehicles, watering gardens of less than 100 m², filling pools up to 4 m³, and exceeding the set consumption limit by up to 10%. Serious infractions include watering gardens from 100 to 400 m², filling pools from 4 to 20 m³, and exceeding the consumption limit between 10% and 25%. Very serious infractions include watering gardens of more than 400 m², filling pools of more than 20 m³, exceeding the limit by 25%, tampering with meters, or obstructing inspection.

The planned fines are:

• Minor infractions: from 50 to 750 euros.
• Serious infractions: from 751 to 1,500 euros.
• Very serious infractions: from 1,501 to 3,000 euros.

Sanctions are graded according to the severity, the damages, recidivism, and the degree of exceptionality or current emergency, and are not applied in the case of fortuitous and non-repeated leaks that are duly justified. As precautionary measures, the installation of flow-limiting devices at the user’s expense may be ordered and, in very serious infractions, the suspension of supply.

Obligations and entry into force

Supplying entities are obliged to inform users of the restrictions, to monitor subscribers who exceed the saving limits, and to install pressure reductions and meters in municipal facilities. They must also detect, report, and neutralize illegal connections to the network, with the assistance of security forces.

The ordinance will enter into force once the period provided for in articles 65.2 and 70.2 of Law 7/1985 has elapsed, after the full text has been published in the official provincial bulletin. Against the agreement, which ends the administrative route, a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Catalonia within a period of two months.

The new regulation turns water saving into an enforceable obligation for all residents and uses in the municipality, in a context of recurrent drought. With fines of up to 3,000 euros and the possibility of suspending the supply, the City Council of Vilamaniscle provides water management with a sanctioning instrument that directly affects the daily life of the citizens.

Fuente: Official Bulletin of the Province of Girona, no. 170, September 3, 2026, Local Administration section - City Councils, pp. 1-8 (official reference: CVE BOP-2026_0_170_7665).