page_title: Water resources management in Uruguay
section_title: Surface and groundwater resources
hierarchical_section_title: Water resources management in Uruguay / Water resources base / Surface and groundwater resources
context_page_description: The water resources management system in Uruguay has been influenced by the general sense of water as an abundant resource in the country. Average annual rainfall is 1,182 mm, representing a contribution of 210 km³ annually throughout its territory. In 2002, the per capita renewable water resources was 41,065 cubic meters, way above the world average 8,467 m³ in 2006. Uruguay also shares one of the largest groundwater reserves in the world, the Guarani Aquifer, with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay. The Guarani aquifer covers 1,200,000 square kilometers and has a storage capacity of 40,000 km³.
  The institutional framework for water resources management consists of sectoral governmental agencies at the national and regional level. The Water Code, Decree No 14.859 of 1978, establishes the legal framework for water resources management in Uruguay completed by sectoral laws for agriculture, industrial water use, energy production and water supply and sanitation.
context_section_description: Uruguay has six major watersheds, Uruguay River, Plata River, Atlantic, Merin Lake, Negro River and Santa Lucía River. All watersheds in Uruguay but Santa Lucia share water with other countries such as Brazil and Argentina. Surface water is the main supplier of water for irrigation (87%), domestic (11%) and industrial use (2%). Irrigation is the main water user by watershed, except in the Santa Lucia River (domestic use) and the Plata River (industrial use).
  Groundwater resources supply water to some small urban settlements and small and medium scale irrigation systems in the interior. The most important groundwater reserves in Paraguay in terms of capacity are the Guaraní and the Raigon Aquifer. The Guarani aquifer is one of the largest groundwater reserves in the world, covering 1,200,000 km² throughout Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The Guarani Aquifer has a storage capacity of 40,000 cubic kilometers. With an estimated annual recharge rate of 160–250 km³ and more than 40 km³ available for consumption, the Guaraní aquifer could supply daily 300 liters of water per capita to 360 million people.
  The neighbor countries are implementing an Environmental Protection and Sustainable Management project together with the Organization of American States and the World Bank.
  Source: Ministerio de Vivienda, Ordenamiento Territorial y Medio Ambiente
caption: Map of Uruguay
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