生态流量的法律表达及制度实现

生态流量制度是流域生态环境保护的重要制度保障,是水资源、水环境、水生态“三位一体”保障体系的重要组成部分,是满足水生态承载能力刚性约束的制度体现。目前,水资源开发利用以及水环境污染防治由《水法》以及《水污染防治法》做出了全面规定,而保障水生态功能实现的生态流量则作为水电工程环境影响评价制度的一个因子予以考量,这显然无法达成“维持水体生态功能”之目标。生态流量制度作为保护水生态功能的独立法律制度,应当在涉水立法中予以明确,同时形成完整的生态流量制度体系。基于此,本文对生态流量在立法中的法律表达提出制度建议,包括:①生态流量底线是为了满足流域及其周边区域原有生态系统功能所需要的水流数量以及水文过程的最低要求。生态流量底线制度包括生态流量底线的划定、生态流量监测以及生态流量底线的适应性管理。②流域生态流量协议,是在生态流量底线之上企业与政府达成的更高标准的生态流量约束,是企业与政府合作进行生态环境治理的新模式;是政府、企业、社会共同保障水生态的制度体现;它在公众参与的基础上形成流域规则嵌套,通过绿色水电认证提高企业落实的积极性。③生态流量法律责任制度依据生态流量底线和流域生态流量协议为用水主体设置的不同义务,分别规定了不同的法律责任。违反生态流量底线要求且拒不改正的按日连续处罚,体现出督促企业遵守生态流量底线要求的立法目的;仅违反流域生态流量协议而未突破生态流量底线要求的,则追究其违约责任,撤销其已享受的生态环境优惠,体现对其违背契约精神的惩罚。

The legal expression and system implementation of ecological flow

The ecological flow system is an important institutional guarantee for the ecological environmental protection in river basins.It is an important part of the‘three-in-one’guarantee system for water resources,water environment,and water ecology.It is an institutional embodiment that satisfies the rigid constraints of water ecological carrying capacity.At present,the development and utilization of water resources and the prevention and control of water pollution are comprehensively regulated by the Water Law and the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law,while the ecological flow to ensure the realization of water ecological functions is considered as a factor in the environmental impact assessment system of hydropower projects.This obviously can not achieve the goal of‘maintaining the ecological function of water bodies’.As an independent legal system to protect the ecological function of water,the ecological flow system should be clarified in the legislation,and a complete ecological flow system should be formed at the same time.Based on this,the author puts forward some suggestions on the legal expression of ecological flow in the law,including three parts.First,the requirement of bottom line of ecological flow is to meet the minimum requirements for the amount of water flow and the hydrological process required for the original ecosystem function in the basin and its surrounding areas.The bottom line system of ecological flow includes setting the bottom line of ecological flow,monitoring of ecological flow and adaptive management of ecological flow bottom line.Second,the basin ecological flow agreement is a higher standard of ecological flow constraints reached between enterprises and the government above the requirement of bottom line of ecological flow.It is a new model for enterprises and the government to cooperate in the management of ecological environment,and it is an institutional embodiment of the government,enterprises,and society to jointly guarantee water ecology.It forms the nested river basin rules on the basis of public participation,and improves the enthusiasm of enterprises to implement through green hydropower certification.Third,the legal liability system of ecological flow stipulates different legal responsibilities according to the different obligations setting for the water user of the ecological flow bottom line and the watershed ecological flow agreement.Those who violate the requirement of bottom line of ecological flow and refuse to correct shall be punished continuously according to the day,reflecting the legislative purpose of urging enterprises to comply with the bottom line of ecological flow,while the violations of the requirements of the basin ecological flow agreement but not exceeding the bottom line of ecological flow are investigated for default responsibility and revoked the ecological environment preferences they have enjoyed,reflecting the punishment for its violation of the spirit of the contract.