in 1977 and is working as a political interconnection among the countries of the southern cone (argentina, brazil, bolivia, paraguay, and uruguay). its main objectives are the sustainable use of water resources; regional development with preservation of flora and fauna; physical, fluvial, and terrestrial integration; and promotion of greater knowledge of the basin, its resources and potential. the amazon cooperation treaty (tca) was signed in 1978 by brazil, colombia, ecuador, guyana, peru, suriname, and venezuela and entered into force for brazil in 1980. the basic scope of the tca is to promote the harmonious development of the amazon, in order to allow an equitable distribution of the benefits, to improve the quality of life of its peoples, and to achieve the full incorporation of their amazon territories in their respective domestic economies. other treaties include: (i) the cooperation agreement for the use of natural resources and development of the quaraí river basin; and (ii) the treaty for the use of shared natural resources of the bordering stretches of the uruguay river and its tributary, the pepiri-guaçú river, between brazil and argentina. national legal framework atlanticocean pacificocean north northeast central-west southeast south acre amazonas pará roraima amapá rondônia tocantins maranhão bahia piauí ceará rio grandedo norte paraíba pernambuco alagoas sergipe mato grosso mato grossodo sul federaldistrict goiás minas gerais são paulo rio de janeiro espírito santo paraná santa catarina rio grandedo sul argentina bolivia chile colombia french guiana guyana paraguay peru suriname uruguay venezuela the 1988 constitution established a distinction between federally controlled water, for rivers, lakes, and lagoons across state boundaries (article 20), and state-controlled water, for rivers and groundwater that remain completely within state boundaries (article 26). this definition of state-controlled water complicates the effective management of some of the country's important rivers since the main stem of a federally controlled river cannot be effectively managed without controlling water resource development on the state-controlled tributaries of the river. after negotiating for six years, congress adopted a national water law, no. 9433 (nwl) in january 1997 that incorporates most modern water resources management principles and instruments. the nwp states that water is a public good and a limited natural resource with an economic value; in situations of scarcity the priority use of water is for human and animal consumption; water resources management should always assure the multiple use of waters; the river basin is the territorial unit for water management; and management of water resources should be decentralized and participatory. in july 2000, federal law no. 9984 established the national water authority (autoridade nacional da agua - ana) with the mandate to implement the national water policy and establish criteria for granting of water usage rights and pricing mechanisms. the legal framework is completed with several water resources management laws created by the states starting in 1991. although implemented at different times in the last 20 years, most of these state laws are structurally very similar among themselves and with national water law no. 9433. state water resources management law state law no. enactment date são paulo 7,663 december 1991 ceara 11,996 july 1992 para 5,793 january 1994 santa catarina 9,748 november 1994 acre 1,117 january 1994 minas gerais 11,504 june 1994 rio grande do sul 10,530 december 1994 bahia 6,855 may 1995 rio grande do norte 6,908 july 1996 paraiba 6,308 july 1996 union 9,433 january 1997 pernambuco 11,426 january 1997 goias 13,123 july 1997 sergipe 3,870 september 1997 mato grosso 6,945 november 1997 alagoas 5,965 november 1997 maranhao 7,052 december 1997 espirito santo 5,818 december 1998 rio de janeiro 3,239 august 1999 parana 12,726 november 1999 piaui 5,165 august 2000 distrito federal 2,725 june 2001 source: mma, 2001 institutional organization the national water resources management system is a combination of organized public organizations, private entities, and civil society representatives which make the implementations of the water resources management instruments possible, in accordance with the principles established in the law. the institutional framework consists of the following: the national council on water resources (ncwr) is the highest organization in the system's hierarchy. it aims at promoting the integration of water resources planning at the national, regional, and state levels and between user sectors. the ncwr consists of representatives of the federal government ministries as well as representatives designated by the state councils on water resources and representatives of water users and civil organizations concerned with water resources management. the chairman of the national water resources council is the minister of the environment. the national water authority (autoridade nacional da agua – ana) is in charge of implementing the national plan for water resources formulated by the ncwr. ana consists of ten functional superintendencies with implementing and administrative functions headed by a president and four directors. ana is under the ministry of the environment but has administrative and financial independence. the river basin committees (rbc) are connected organizations that bring together stakeholders to discuss and decide on their own problems with the objective of protecting water resources in the river basin region. under brazilian law, they do not have legal status. rbcs include representatives of the federal government, the states, or the federal district in which they are located (even if only partially), the municipalities, the water users and the water resources civil organizations that have a demonstrated record of action in the basin. the number of representatives from each sector mentioned, as well as the criteria for their appointments, are defined in the regulations of the committees. the river basin water agencies act as the executive secretariats of the river basin committees. although there is a close relationship between the committees and the agencies, the latter are very different from the former. the main difference is in their nature and organization: while the committees act as what is called in brazil "water parliaments," the water agencies operate more like executive organizations. the water resources civil organizations (cwo) should be represented on the national water resources council and should participate in the decision-making process. cwos can be any of the following: (i) inter-municipal consortia, (ii) river basin associations, (iii) regional, local, or sectoral associations of water users, (iv) technical, academic, and research organizations, and (v) nongovernmental organizations (ngos). government strategy the national water resources policy was approved by federal law no. 9433/97. the national water resources policy can be divided into three main sections: sector principles. these are: (i) the river basin is the territorial unit for the implementation of the national water resources policy; (ii) management of water resources should allow for multiple uses of water; (iii) water is a limited resource with economic value; (iv) the management of water resources should be decentralized and should involve participation by the government, the users, and the community; and (v) when there is a shortage of water, priority is given to human consumption and watering of animals. management instruments affecting water users directly, such as water permits and water tariffs, and decision-making, such as water resources planning at the river basin, state, or national level, water resources information system and classification of bodies of water according to main uses. the institutional framework for the operation of the principles and implementation of the instruments, including: (i) national water resources council, (ii) the water resources councils of the states and the federal district, (iii) the river basin committees, (iv) the government agencies with functions related to water, and (v) the river basin water agencies. in addition, brazil's government is undertaking a number of water resources management initiatives such as proagua and prodes. proagua (programa nacional de desenvolvimiento dos recursos hidricos - federal water resources management project) aims at bettering the population's quality of life, especially that of the poor, by combining integrated water resources management with expansion and optimization of hydraulic infrastructure, promoting rational integrated and sustainable use and participatory management of water resources in brazil. prodes (programa despoluição de bacias hidrográficas or basin restoration program) is an innovative program by the brazilian federal government to finance wastewater treatment plants while providing financial incentives to properly operate and maintain the plants. it is a type of output-based aid, as opposed to financing programs targeted only at inputs. users' commissions more recently, the advent of river basin or sub-basin commissions has changed the terms of the debate over the "ideal scale" of water services provision. the creation of users’ commissions, such as cogerh (created in 1993) in the lower jaguaribe/banabuiú, and a (short-lived) similar organization in curú, have served the overlapping goals of public participation, decentralization, and transparency. according to lemos and de oliveira, such users' commissions have effectively mobilized "multidisciplinary" teams of experts—including sociologists, geographers, agronomists, and engineers—"not as organizers but as facilitators," for more participatory decision-making processes. the river basin committees represent a "new decision-making" arena which has begun to challenge the " =closed and technocratic" bureaucracy that brazil inherited from its pre-democratic past. for example, cogerh's recommendation to reduce water consumption voluntarily came as a shock to the traditional water policy-making establishment. the piracicaba, capivari, and jundiaí river basin committee (created by law no. 7663/1991, formalized by november 1993) pioneered a shared decision-making model between users and state and local officials, which has been used as a model by several other committees in the state of são paulo. water management at the river basin level – the alto tietê river basin rio tietê