The present Act enacts provisions relating to water rights in Austria. Water is either public or private. Article 2 defines public waters, i.e. rivers, streams, brooks, canals, lakes and their arms, private waters are inter alia, groundwater existing on the territory of a private owner. The text consists of 80 articles divided into 7 Parts as follows: Legal quality of waters, division of waters (1); Use of waters, entitlement to use water (2); Cleansing and protection of waters (3); Defence from