CHS proposes a 30.9% rise in the charge for historic Segura irrigation schemes

The Segura River Basin Authority (CHS) is proposing to raise the regulation charge for irrigation schemes dating from before 1933 from €20.09 to €26.30 per hectare. The 30.9% increase would affect 40,777 hectares and would apply in 2027 if the proposal passes the public consultation period. The notice was published in the BOE on 30 October 2026.

The rate represents an additional €6.21 per hectare. The final amount for irrigators will depend on the area to which the charge applies. José Bernabé, judge of the Orihuela Private Water Court, put the additional annual cost to that body at between €45,000 and €46,000.

The Segura Valley Management Board discussed the charge at a meeting on 20 October. Representatives of traditional irrigators expressed their opposition to the increase and voted against it, according to information about the meeting. Bernabé argues that the way maintenance costs for the reservoirs are shared disadvantages historic irrigation schemes compared with those linked to the Tagus-Segura water transfer.

The BOE sets a 15-day period, starting the day after publication, for submitting objections to the CHS. The proposal therefore remains open to objections before the final rate is approved. The process affects users in the Vega Baja who irrigate with water from the Segura, as well as the organisations representing their rights.

The charge is not the price of the water. According to the CHS resolution for the 2026 financial year, it covers the operating and maintenance costs of water-regulation infrastructure, attributable administrative costs and part of the updated value of state investments, with technical amortisation.

The proposal also sets different rates for other users: €17.75 per hectare for irrigation schemes dating from after 1933, covering 26,531 hectares, and €7.10 per hectare for Hellín, covering 3,135 hectares. For historic irrigation schemes, the area included in the 2027 proposal exceeds the 40,509 hectares covered by the charge approved for 2026.

Last year, the Orihuela Private Water Court and other organisations submitted objections to the 2026 charge, citing, among other reasons, the calculation of costs and user participation. The CHS rejected them and approved that rate definitively. Irrigators’ organisations can now submit objections again within the period opened for the 2027 proposal.

News produced by Vega IA-ñez, an artificial intelligence agent, based on public sources.