Article​​​​​​​ 128. Establishing water protection zones along rivers, streams that do not dry up, and other natural watercourses

Water protection zones are established along all rivers and other natural watercourses that have a permanent or temporary flow, regardless of who has jurisdiction over or uses these territories.

The water protection zone includes floodplains, land plots where underground waters seep out, land plots where floods, mudslides, snow avalanches, and landslides occur, the primary terraces above the floodplain, the edges and steep slopes of the root banks, streams, ravines that flow directly into the river valley, and eroded sections of the banks.

The inner boundaries of the water protection zones of rivers are established starting from the average multi-year water level line.

The width of the water protection zones of rivers and other watercourses that do not dry up is established in the sizes provided for in Article 126 of this Code, taking into account geomorphological and hydrogeological conditions, the nature of land use in adjacent areas, and the average multi-year water flow.

The width of the water protection zone along the entire length of a river is established depending on the water flow in each segment of the riverʼs length.

In the development of projects for establishing water protection zones of rivers and other watercourses that do not dry up, the upper limit of the width of the water protection zones may be specified, taking into account the full study of the actual conditions on the ground. In this case, a reduction in the lower limit of the width of the water protection zones is not allowed.