Water Legislation of Israel

Israel’s scarce water resources are regulated through a series of water laws that acknowledge public ownership of all water resources, deny private water rights and institute an administrative regime of water allocation based on permitted uses and priorities of use in case of scarcity.

The following sections describe Israel’s water legislation through two main headings – Principles of Water Legislation and Water Institutions and Tools.

A brief summary of the principal sector laws follows. Since the laws have not been translated, full texts are available only in Hebrew.
 

• Principles of Water Legislation

  • Water rights in Israel

  • Water uses and permits

  • Water Legislation
     

• Water Management Institutions and Tools

  • Water Management Institutions

  • The Governmental Authority for Water and Sewerage

  • Tools for the Management of scarce water resources

  • Public Participation

  • Payment for Water Use

  • Environmental Protection
     

• Legislation

  • The Water Law, 5719-1959

  • The Water Measurement Law, 5715 – 1955

  • The Control Over Water Drillings Law, 5715-1955

  • The Drainage and Flood Control Law, 5718-1957

  • The Streams and Springs Authorities Law, 5725-1965

  • The Water and Sewerage Corporations Law, 5761 – 2001

  • The Public Health Ordinance, 1940

The description of Israel’s water legislation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a legally binding version or interpretation thereof.