Antes de la política hidráulica: la gestión del agua bajo el Estado liberal en España (1833-1866)

The regulation of water use in Spain went through a profound transformation during the first decades of the Liberal State. Liberalism introduced institutional changes that affected all aspects of the use and administration of water resources. Water property rights were established and water was to a large extent declared of public ownership. Priorities were set on the use of water resources and common organizational structures were introduced in all irrigation communities. In this regard the Spanish state permitted extensive autonomy in water management, though it maintained control of supervision and the right to intervene in matters within those communities. All irrigation systems were required to document their regulations and internal rules were homogenized. The outcome was a new institutional framework developed in tandem with the establishment of the new public administration system. This process culminated in 1866 with the unification of these rules in a Water Law which would regulate this natural resource for more than a century.