<u>Water licensing: CH staff are responsible for reviewing and approving</u> applications for water concessions (licenses for use of water in the public domain). The granting of concessions must be consistent with basin plan priorities and objectives, however, and concessions for drinking water must adhere to regulations for drinking water quality. The procedure for granting a concession is as follows: 1) the prospective user files a request with the CH; 2) CH staff analyze the request for its technical feasibility, compatibility with the basin plan, and potential competition or conflict with other licensed or requested projects; 3) the request is published to allow for public review and comment, and in some instances review and comment are solicited from the CA and other interested stakeholders;<sup>5</sup> 4) the staff complete their technical report with a recommendation concerning the request; 5) the CH governing board decides whether to grant or deny the request. When a license is rejected, an applicant is provided information of the reason(s). In some cases, the applicant can modify and resubmit an application. In cases (thus far rare) where an application for a high-volume groundwater license is filed, the CH encourages the formation of a water user association. Once the association is set up, the license is granted to the association rather than the individual user. Thereafter, the CH deals with the association, and the association deals with the individual users. The CH is required by law to maintain a publicly accessible registry of authorized water users.

<u>Water transfers: The CHs have the authority to approve transfers of water</u> concessions between authorized and registered water users. This is a very new function, approved by amendments to the national water law in 1999.

<u>Enforcement of Spanish and EU water regulations: Unless assigned specifically to</u> another level or unit of government, enforcement falls to the CH.

Within their sphere of competence, the decisions of CHs are final. Challenges to a CH decision would have to be taken to court, with the challenge based on a claim that the CH has exceeded its legal authority. CHs also have the authority to enforce their decisions through the imposition of sanctions such as fines.

Internally, CH Guadalquivir is organized into staff offices plus a set of boards, councils, or commissions composed of basin stakeholder representatives and CH staff (Table 2). The CH president serves as head of the CH staff and chairs the advisory bodies. Thus, the president has a strong role in guiding the CH’s activities. The president is appointed by the Council of Ministers and is effectively an official of the central government.

# **Table 2.  Boards and Offices of the CH**

|**Executive Bodies**<br>||
|---|---|
|President, also referred to<br>as Chairman|Appointed by the Council of Ministers at the proposal of<br>Ministry of Environment.|
|Governing Board (Junta|Headed by the CH President, the board is in charge of|
|de<br>Gobierno),<br>also|financial matters,approvesactionplans,and definesaquifer|

> 5 For applications requesting a license for more than 8 liters per second, there is a process for notifying through official bulletin, so individuals or organizations with affected competing projects can present alternative or competing proposals.

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