Costa Rican Government Laws & Regulations
There are four institutions in charge of the responsible management of water resources in Costa Rica:
- the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE)
- they are responsible for control and management of national water resources
- the Ministry of Health (MINSALUD)
- they are responsible for water including pollution control
- the Ministry of Agriculture and its department the National Groundwater, Irrigation and Drainage Service (SENARA)
- they are responsible for soil conservation and groundwater management, and
- the National Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA)
- they are Costa Rica’s PUBLIC water and sewage utility agency and are responsible for the supply of drinking water and sanitation.
Ground and surface waters are publicly owned. Legislation regulating the right to abstract water includes:
- Water Law No. 276 of 1942;
- Executive Decree No. 35884- MINAET 2010 (Drilling Regulations for Subsurface Exploration and Exploitation of Groundwater);
- Law No. 6877 of 1983 (from Creation of Groundwater, Irrigation and Drainage National Service (SENARA));
- Law No. 2726 of 1961 (Constitution of Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers); and Environmental Act No. 7554.83
The Rural Aqueduct Associations (ASADAs) are public entities responsible for administering and providing accessible clean drinking water in Costa Rica. They report to various government entities but take direction from AyA, which essentially acts as their overseeing authority.
Laws and regulations that are relevant for the protection and sustainable use of water include:
- The Potable Water Law (Law No. 1634 of 1953) and its Amendments (Law No. 7593 of 1996 and Law No. 2726 of 1961)
- The General Health Law (Law No. 5395 of 1973, Arts. 264-277)
- The General Environment Law (Law No. 7574 of 1995, Arts. 50-52 and 64-67)
- The Law Establishing the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (Law No. 2726 of 1961)
- The Regulation on the Quality of Potable Water (Decree No. 32.327-S of 2005)
- The Regulation for the Evaluation and Classification of the Quality of Surface Water Bodies (Decree No. 33.903-MINAE-S of 2007)
https://humanright2water.org/blog/2023/02/14/quality-and-safety-of-water-in-costa-rica/