The scope of responsibilities of the President of the National Water Management Authority under the Water Act dated July 18, 2001 (Polish Journal of Laws no. 115, item 1229 as amended):

The President of the National Water Management Authority is a central administrative body responsible for water conservation, and especially for water management and water use (article 89 section 1 of the Act). The President of the National Water Management Authority is selected on a competitive basis. He is appointed and dismissed by the Prime Minister upon the motion of a competent minister for water management. The term of office of the President of the National Water Management Authority is 5 years counting form the day of his appointment. The President of the National Water Management Authority remains in office until the day on which his successor has been appointed (article 89 section 3 of the Act). The deputies of the President of the National Water Management Authority are appointed and dismissed by the competent minister for water management upon the motion of the President of the National Board for Water Management (article 89 section 2 of the Act). The performance of the President of the National Water Management Authority is supervised by the competent minister for water management (article 4 section 1 item 2 and article 89 section 24 of the Act). Ministerial supervision of the President’s performance includes in particular:

• appproving the implementation programmes for the tasks related to investments in water and water equipment conservation,
• approving annual task completion reports,
• a control plan of water management to be performed by the President.
• ordering checks which are not included in the control plan.

As specified in article 90 of the Act the responsibilities of the President of the National Water Management Authority include in particular:

• developing the national water and environmental programme,
• preparing draft proposals of the river basin water management plans,
• developing draft proposals of flood protection and drought prevention plans to be implemented on the national territory, including the division into river basin districts,
• harmonizing the draft proposals of the conditions for the use of waters in the water region in question,
• keeping water inventory of the national territory, including the division into river basin districts,
• supervising the performance of Directors of the Regional Water Management Boards and in particular, controlling their activities, approving their activity plans and the relevant reports on implementation thereof as well as giving orders to carry out immediate checks of water management within selected river basin districts,
• supervising the performance of the national hydrological and meteorological and hydrogeological services,
• representing the State Treasury in water management issues in relation to the property owned by it, as specified in the Water Act,
• programming, planning and supervision of the implementation of tasks related to the conservation of water and water works and water management investments,
• harmonising the aspects of water management in the draft proposals of the priority programme lists under the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management defined in article 415, section 5, item 1 of the Environmental Protection Act.

The President of the Regional Water Management Board executes ownership rights to public waters owned by the State Treasury, to waters important form the point of view of water resources management and flood protection and especially groundwater and land surface water:

• in mountain torrents and their sources,
• in natural water courses from the source to the estuary with the average flow rate based on long-term measurements higher or equal to 2,0 m3/s in estuary-cross-section,
• in lakes and artificial water reservoirs with water courses described in point b flowing through them,
• in border regions,
• in inland waterways (article 11 section 1 item 2 of the Act).

The President of the National Water Management Authority supervises the performance of directors of the regional boards for water management (article 4 section 1 item 3 of the Act). According to the Administrative Code the President of the National Water Management Authority is considered a higher administrative body in relation to province governors and directors of regional boards for water management that which can decide in matters defined by the Act (article 4 section 3 of the Act). The structure of a regional board for water management is defined in the charter assigned to it by a competent minister for water management upon the motion of the President of the National Water Management Authority (article 92 section 7 of the Act). A director of a regional board for water management is appointed and dismissed by a competent minister for water management upon the motion of the President of the National Water Management Authority in consultation with the National Council for Water Management. The deputy directors of a regional board for water management are appointed and dismissed upon the motion of the director of a regional board for water management in consultation with the water management council of the relevant water region (article 93 section 1 and 2 of the Act). A director of a regional board for water management submits annual report on task completion to the President of the National Water Management Authority no later than by March 31 as defined in article 94 of the Act.

The National Council for Water Management assists the President as an advisory and opinion-making body (article 96 section 1 of the Act). The council members are appointed by a competent minister for water management upon the motion of the President of the National Water Management Authority and they are selected among the individuals nominated by the associations comprising territorial government bodies, universities, research units and social, economic and ecological organizations which are related to water management (article 97 section 1 and 2 of the Act). The President of the National Water Management Authority provides office services to the National Council. The expenses of the National Council are covered from the share of state budget allocated to water management and are decided upon by the president of the National Water Management Authority (article 99 section 1 and 3 of the Act). Upon the motion of the director, the President of the National Water Management Authority appoints the members of the regional council which assists a director of the regional board for water management as an opinion-making and advisory body (article 100 section 4 of the Act).

The budget share allocated to water management and managed by the President of the National Water Management Authority is used to finance:

• the activities of national hydrological and meteorological and hydrogeological services,
• maintenance, reconstruction, expansion and dismantling of the basic observation and measurement network of national hydrological and meteorological services as well as the system of data collection, processing and exchange,
• maintenance, reconstruction, expansion and dismantling of hydrogeological gauge instruments used by national hydrogeological services,
• the activities and development of methodology units,
• preparation of hydrological and meteorological as well as hydrogeological data and information
• preparation and publication of warnings, general forecasts as well as hydrological and meteorological reports and bulletins, and also hydrological, meteorological and hydrogeological yearbooks. (article 109 section 2 of the act).

The President of the National Water Management Authority keeps the water inventory of the national territory which includes the division into basin districts and water regions (article 154 section 1 and 2 of the Act).

The President of National Water Management Authority and the directors of regional boards for water management control the following areas of water management:

• implementation of water management plans and programmes prepared in compliance with the Act,
• water use,
• compliance with the decisions taken in compliance with the Act
• water and water works conservation,
• compliance with the responsibilities and restrictions imposed upon land owners,
• compliance with the requirements of the Act referring to protected zones and areas,
• compliance with the requirements relating to flood banks and the areas under direct risk of flooding,
• flood preparation and removal of flood damage related to the conservation of water and waterworks,
• installation and maintenance of fixed gauge instruments on the shores and in the water,
• any activities or works which are performed close to waterworks and which could be dangerous for such waterworks or damage them,
• removing water management related damage caused by mining-induced ground movement (article 156 of the Act).

After the completed checks, the President of the National Water Management Authority or a director of the regional board for water management can issue a post-check order or apply to the competent body to start administrative proceedings. The President of the National Water Management Authority or a director of the regional board can file an application to start official or other legal proceedings against the individuals or organizations that are guilty of irregularities and inform them about the result of the proceedings and measures taken by the established date. When performing checks, the President of the National Water Management Authority and a director of the regional board co-operate with other control bodies, public administration bodies, civil protection forces and public organizations (article 161 of the Act).

In justifiable circumstances the President of the National Water Management Authority in consultation with the minister of agriculture can suspend the call for tenders or the execution of the agreement related to the use permit of the fishery district for the period required to perform checks and he can order a director of the regional board for water management to review the tenders indicating the circumstances which should be taken into consideration during such review (article 13 section 5a of the Act).

The companies or organizational units which install water works on waterways used for inland navigation purposes should, at their own expense, submit together with the inland navigation body the list of incurred costs in the previous year to the President of the National Water Management Authority by 31 March. (article 66a section 3 of the act).

The President of the National Water Management Authority is assisted by the National Water Management Authority created under the article 90 section 4 of the Act dated July 18, 2001 and the Regulation of the Prime Minister dated June 27 2006 concerning the charter of the National Water Management Authority.

National Water Management Authority started to operate on July 1, 2006.