Legal status and management of water resources

Predmet ovog završnog rada je pravni status i upravljanje vodnim dobrom. Vodno dobro i javno vodno dobro su pojmovi koji se uvode i temeljno razrađuju suvremenim Zakonom o vodama. U povijesti zakonskog reguliranja smo mogli govoriti o reguliranju i upravljanju vodama, no tek suvremenijim reguliranjem možemo govoriti o vodnom dobru kao dobru od interesa za RH. Današnje reguliranje poznaje niz općih i posebnih propisa kojima se određuje vodno dobro, tko upravlja, raspolaže ili se koristi vodnim dobrom. U određenju vodnog dobra bitno je razlikovati javno vodno dobro i vodno dobro. Razlika se prije svega ogleda po pitanju vlasništva, odnosno pitanju mogu li druge pravne ili fizičke osobe osim RH biti vlasnici. U vodnom dobru postoje takve mogućnosti dok nad javnim vodnim dobrom vlasništvo ima isključivo RH. Zakon o vodama propisuje i granice vodnog dobra, no tu ipak postoje pravne praznine jer granice nisu precizno i potpuno određene. Prestanak vodnog dobra kao dobra od interesa za RH precizno je određen te pod određenim uvjetima može prestati takav status. Upravljanje vodnim dobrom podrazumijeva niz radnji koje uglavnom obavlja RH posredno ili neposredno. Upravljati mogu i tijela jedinica lokalne odnosno regionalne samouprave, ali i Hrvatske vode.The subject of this paper is the legal status and the management of water resources. Public and private water resources are concepts introduced and elaborated in the current Water Law. In the history of law regulation, there was only the interest of regulating and managing water resources, while more contemporary regulation poses water resources as a commodity of interest for the Republic of Croatia. Present-day regulation recognizes an array of general and specific rules that specify the definition of water resources, their management and disposal, and their beneficiaries. It is essential to differentiate between public and private water resources. The difference is in the ownership whether other juridical or natural persons, apart from the Republic of Croatia, can be its owners. Such possibilities are available for the privatized while the ownership of the public water resources solely belongs to the Republic of Croatia. The Water Law even appoints boundaries of water resources, albeit with legal gaps as they are not precisely and thoroughly defined. Due to the precisely-defined end of its status as a point of interest for the Republic of Croatia, under specific circumstances the status of water resource ceases. The management of water resources presupposes several direct or indirect actions mostly carried out by the Republic of Croatia. Municipalities and regional authorities can also manage, as well as Croatian waters