Regulatory framework of the Water Sector

The most important national regulations directly or indirectly regarding the Integrated Water Service are:

• Italian Royal Decree no. 1775 of 11/12/1933 "Consolidated water and electric installations act";
• Italian Law no. 129 of 04/02/1963 "Overall Water System Development Plan";
• Italian Law no. 36 of 05/01/1994 "Provisions governing water resources" ("Galli Law");
• Decree of the Prime Minister's Office of 04/03/1996 "Provisions governing water resources";
• Italian Ministerial Decree of 01/08/1996 "Standardised method for defining cost components and determining the tariff of reference of the Integrated Water Service";
• Italian Ministerial Decree no. 99 of 08/01/1997 "Regulations on the criteria and methodology on which water system and sewer leaks are assessed";
• Decree of the Prime Minister's Office of 29/04/1999 "Overall scheme of reference for preparing the integrated water service charter";
• Italian Legislative Decree no. 31 of 02/02/2001 "Implementation of directive 98/83/EC regarding the quality of water intended for human consumption";
• Italian Legislative Decree no. 152 of 03/04/2006 "Environmental Regulations".

As far as the Emilia Romagna Region is concerned, the main regulatory references are:

• Regional Law 25/99, as modified by Regional Law 1/2003, which implements the "Galli Law";
• Resolution no. 1053 of 09/06/2003 of the Regional Executive Board of Emilia-Romagna containing the policies for implementing Italian Legislative Decree 152/99, as amended or added, applied also after Italian Legislative Decree 152/06, as amended or added, went into effect;
• Regional Law no. 4 of 6 March 2007, containing regulatory adjustments with regard to the environment and modifications to regional laws.

First meteoric water and scouring water

In compliance with what the national regulations provide for, the Emilia Romagna Region has established its criteria for managing first meteoric water and scouring water of outdoor areas subject to potential pollution due to the transport of pollutant substances placed on the ground.
Therefore, to be noted are:

• Resolution of the Regional Executive Board no. 286 of 14 February 2005 "Directive concerning policies for managing first rainwater and scouring water of outdoor areas"
• Resolution of the Regional Executive Board no. 1860 of 18 December 2006 "Policy guidelines for managing scouring water and first meteoric water in implementation of Resolution of the Regional Executive Board no. 286 of 14/02/2005"

that contain instructions and criteria for the design, building and management of collection, storage and treatment systems of these types of waste water.