NOTES ON ADMINISTRATION OF WATER SUPPLY. 61 



of the available supply of water necessitated the framing of 

 regulations for its use. Hence we find that during the occupation 

 of Spain by the Moors irrigation was widely practiced, works for 

 this purpose having been constructed then which even now occupy 

 an important position both from an engineering and from a 

 utilitarian point of view. The value of the customs and laws 

 under which irrigation works were managed by the Moors was 

 fully recognized by their conquerors. An excellent instance of 

 this occurred early in the thirteenth century, when the King of 

 Arragon by whom the Moors had been expelled, issued a decree 

 that the customs observed by them in regard to the utilization of 

 water should be adopted and adhered to. In short, the Spaniards 

 were indebted to the Moors, not only for their irrigation work, 

 but for their system of administration and their sound and 

 practical methods of dealing with the water rights. The Spanish 

 Law of Water which was passed in 1366, and which is probably 

 the most comprehensive Act of its kind in existence, is little more 

 than a codification of previously existing laws and a legalization 

 of established customs. Generally speaking, every irrigation 

 work in Spain has a code of rules for its management, and the 

 administration of these rules is in the hands of the irrigators. 

 The Law of Water deals with the general question of the rights 

 of the State and of individuals to water, and is sufficiently wide 

 in its scope to provide as well for the most ancient irrigation work 

 in the land as for those recently carried out by English Companies. 

 This Law consists of 300 Articles or Clauses ; but the first 29 of 

 these relate to the waters of the sea, and deal with coastal works 

 and with the belt of sea throughout which Spanish jurisdiction 

 extends. In the remaining 271 Clauses, the subject of rights to 

 rain water, and to rivers, lakes, and subterranean supplies is. 

 treated exhaustively. The basis of this Law briefly stated is that 

 all large natural supplies of water are public property. Article 31 

 declares that " There pertains to the public property the rain 

 water which flows through torrents or watercourses the channels 

 of which belong to the same public property." Article 33 

 proclaims that " There pertain to the public or public property — 



(1) The waters which spring perennially or intermittently 



within the public lands. 



(2) Those of the rivers. 



(2) Those whether perennial or intermittent which flow 

 through their natural channels." 

 Article 44 dealing with the stagnant water declares that " There 

 pertain to the public property the lakes and marshes formed by 

 nature, covering public land and fed by public streams." In the 

 case of subterranean waters, these belong to the owner of the land 

 under which they are obtained. Article 45 on this subject states 



