Water law (definitions):

1) System of legal norms regulating social relations in water use and protection.

2) Legal norms regulating relations in water use and protection are a branch of legislation and a part of environmental law // Encyclopedia dictionary

Land, forest, mineral resources, flora and fauna, and atmospheric air related relations in the context of water use and protection are regulated by water law to the extent necessary for rational water use and protection.

Water law methods combine imperative and dispositive principles, with prevalence of the former that indicates to an active role of the government in regulation of use and protection of such a vital resource as water.

Actors of water relations are the subjects of water law.

The water law system comprises water legislation and water law science, the both coinciding with each other to a larger degree.

Like other law branches, water law consists of general and specific parts.

The general part includes:

• positions related to composition of water legislation, objects and subjects of water relations;
• institute of right of ownership and other rights to water objects;
• institute of government control in the area of water use and protection;
• institute of use and protection of water objects;
• resolution of disputes on water use and protection and responsibility for breach of water legislation.

Specific part refers to target water use.

Water legislation (definitions):

1) System of statutory instruments regulating social relations in water use and protection // Great legal dictionary

2) Set of legal norms setting legal regime of country water resources and procedure of their use and protection // Ecological dictionary

Sources (in Russian):
Pravo
Vodnoye pravo / Slovari and entziklopedii na Akademike
Vodnoye zakonodatelstvo // Slovari and entziklopedii na Akademike

Author: Rysbekov Yu. Kh., SIC ICWC