Royal Decree 665/2023 establishes that inspection activities in this area can only be carried out by bodies designated as hydraulic administration (ECAH) collaborating bodies. For this designation, it is required to have accreditation according to the UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17020 standard.

Recently, Geyser HPC has obtained ENAC accreditation, according to the UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17020 standard, for carrying out inspections related to the control of point-source contamination in groundwater, in accordance with Royal Decree 665/2023, regarding protecting public water resources and preventing groundwater pollution.

Royal Decree 665/2023 has been developed by Order TED/739/2025, which sets out the legal framework for hydraulic administration (ECAH) collaborating bodies regarding the use and protection of waters in the public hydraulic domain. Through this, the ECAH Protocols for Actions to Protect Groundwater Against Point Pollution and for Sampling in Contaminated Sites have also been approved and published.

Among ECAH’s functions defined by the order are preparation of hydrogeological studies and reports required for managing public water resources regarding groundwater protection; characterization and diagnostic studies related to specific contamination of these waters; risk analyses associated with that contamination; situation reports, monitoring, tracking, and control of groundwater quality; and projects for decontaminating polluted groundwater along with their related reports.

These provisions state that inspection activities under the royal decree can only be carried out by bodies designated as ECAH, for which it is required to have accreditation according to the UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17020 standard.

This is just another example of how accreditation is a tool increasingly used by various administrations to achieve their public policy goals, as it means inspection bodies can be identified that have formally demonstrated their technical competence and impartiality to carry out their activities, providing administrations with trust in the reliability of their results.

Currently, about 400 European, national, regional, and local regulations include accreditation to ensure the reliability of products and services, develop safe markets, and strengthen consumer protection in areas as diverse as industrial safety, public health, and environmental protection, among others.