OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER. YEAR CXXXIII. N. 43058. 11, JUNE, 1997. PAG. 1 LAW 373 OF 1997(June 6) by which the program for the efficient use is established and savings of the water. The Congress of ColombiaIt DECREES:Article 1º. It programs for the efficient use and savings of the water. Regional environmental every plan and municipal should incorporate obligatorily a programFor the efficient use and savings of the water. It is understood for program for the efficient use and savings of water the assembly of projects and actions that should devise and to adopt the companies responsible for the installment of the servicesOf acueducto, alcantarillado, irrigation and drainage, hydroelectric production and other users of the water resource. The Regional Autonomous Corporations and other environmental authoritiesResponsible for the management, protection and control of the water resource in its respective jurisdiction will approve the establishment and execution of you said programs in coordination with other autonomous corporations that share the sources that supply the different uses. Article 2º. Content of the program of efficient use and savings of the water. The program of efficient use and savings of water, will be five-year and should be based on the diagnosis of the water offering of the sources of provision and the demand of water, and to contain the annual goals of reduction of losses, the educational campaigns to the community, the utilization of superficial water, rains and subterranean, the incentives and other aspects that define the Regional Autonomous Corporations and other environmental authorities, the Companies prestadoras of the services of acueducto and alcantarillado, the ones that handle projects of irrigation and drainage, the hydroelectric and other users of the resource, that they be considered convenient for the fulfillment of the program. Parágrafo. Modifíquense the numeral 71.2 and parágrafo 1º Of the article 71 of the Law 142 of 1994. In order to guaranteeing the coordination among the functions of the Department of theEnvironment and the Drinkable Water Regulation Commission and Saneamiento Basic in it concerning the objectives of the program of efficient use and savings of the water, you be modified the composition of the Drinkable Water Regulation Commission and Saneamiento Basic. The numeral 71.2 of the Law 142 of 1994 will remain thus: Four commissioned experts of exclusive dedication, appointed by the President of the Republic for period of 3 years, reelegibles and not subject to the dispositions that regulate the administrative career. One of them in form rotatoria will exercise the functions of coordinator according to the internal regulation. Upon distributing internallyThe work among them will be tried that all they have opportunity to lend their services regarding the diverse classes of matters that are competence of the Commission. In every case, one of the experts should show knowledge in environmental matters. The parágrafo 1º Of the article 71 will remain thus: to the Drinkable Water Regulation Commission and Saneamiento Basic the Ministers of Health they will belong and Environment. To the Energy Regulation Commission and Flammable Gas will belong the Treasury Minister and Public Credit. The ministers only will be able to delegate theirAid in the vice ministers and the director of the National Department of Planning in the deputy Director. Article 3º. Elaboration and presentation of the program. Each company responsible forLending the services of acueducto, alcantarillado, of irrigation and drainage, of hydroelectric production, and the other users of the water resource will present for approval of the Regional Autonomous Corporations and other environmental authorities, the Program of Efficient Use and Savings of Water. These environmental authorities should devise and to present to the Department of the Environment an executive summary for their information, monitoring and control, inside the six months following cash from the approval of the program. Parágrafo 1º. The responsible companies for the execution of the Program for UseEfficient and Savings of the Water they should present the first program the following (12) twelve months from the force of the present law, and for a period that cover to the approval of the following plan of development of the territorial companies that treats the article 31 of the Law 152 of 1994. The following program will have a horizon of 5 years and will be incorporated to the plan desarroIlo ofThe territorial companies. The Autonomous Corporations and other environmental authorities should present an annual report to the Department of the Environment on the fulfillment of the program that treats the present law. Parágrafo 2º. The investments that be carried out in accordance with the program described, they will be incorporated in the costs of administration of the public utilities of acueducto and alcantarillado and of the other companies usuarias of the resource. Article 4º. Reduction of losses. Inside the Program of Efficient Use and Savings of the Water, the Drinkable Water Regulation Commission and Saneamiento Basic will set put annual, to reduce the losses in each system of acueducto. The Regional Autonomous Corporations and other competent environmental authorities will set the goals of the efficient use and savings of the water for the other users in their area of jurisdiction. The goals will be you defined keeping in mind the water balance of the hydrographic units and the necessary investments to reach them. Parágrafo. The presentation of the program and the fulfillment of the goals for reduction of losses will keep in mind for the guarantee of the National Department of Planning and of the Department of Estate and Public Credit and other public companies authorized, in relation to credits and other financial and economic stimuli destined to the execution of projects and activities that advance the companies usuarias of the water resource. Article 5º. Reúso obligatory of the water. The water utilized, be these of subterranean, superficial origin or rains, in any activity that generate affluent liquids, they should be reused in primary activities andSecondary when the economic and technical process thus they deserve it and they advise according to the socioeconomic analysis and the norms of environmental quality. The Department of the Environment and the Department of Economic Development will regulate in a maximum time limit of (6) six months, cash from the force of the present law, the cases and the types of projects in which the water should be reused. Article 6º. Of the meters of consumption. All the companies that lend the service of acueducto and irrigation, and other users that determine the Regional Autonomous Corporation or the competent environmental authority, arrange of a time limit of a counted year from the force of the present law, to advance a program oriented to install meters of consumption to all the users, in order to complying with it ordered by the artícuIo 43 of the Law99 of 1993 and theArticle 146 of the Law 142 of 1994. The Drinkable Water Regulation Commission and the environmental authorities will be able to exonerate of this obligation to the whose businesses users surpass not on the average the most minimum or basic consumption by them established, according to their respective legal competences. Parágrafo. The endorsement and the cost of installation or construction, as be the case of the corresponding meters, they will be able to be financed by the business prestadora of the service of acueducto, just like their maintenance, which will invoice such costs to the user, without damage of it established in the article 144 of the Law 142 of 1994. Article 7º. Maximum and basic consumption. It is to owe of the Regulating Commission of Drinkable Water and Saneamiento Basic of the Regional Autonomous Corporations and other environmental authorities, according to its competences, to establish basic consumption in function of the uses of the water, desincentivar the maximum consumption of each user and to establish the procedures, the rates and theMeasures to take for those consumers that surpass the maximum consumption set. Article 8º. Incentives tarifarios. The Drinkable Water Regulation Commission and Saneamiento Basic will define a structure tarifaria that encourage the efficient use and of savings of the water, and desestimule its irrational use. The Superintendencia of Home public Utilities, will watch the fulfillment of it established by the Commission. The Regional Autonomous Corporations and other environmental authorities will define the mechanisms that encourage the efficient use and savings of the water, and desestimulen their use ineficiente. Article 9º. Of the new projects. The public companies responsible for offering licenses or permission to advance any class of project that consummates water, they should require that it be included in the study of sources ofProvision, the rains water offering and that their use be established if is technique and economically viable.