Viability of creating a water agency in the Grande river basin, Bahia

The work was developed from the analysis of the viability of creating a water agency in the Grande river basin, located in western Bahia, Brazil. The charging mechanisms of five different water agencies in Brazil were applied to the basin. The simulations showed the possibility of an average annual collection in the basin of over R$ 22 million, which would provide a median value above R$ 160,000 per year for administrative costs of the agency. Thus, considering that the median value of the annual administrative cost to state agencies is close to R$ 300,000, the collection provided by the mechanisms studied would not initially allow the creation of a water agency for the Grande river basin. However, the adoption of one of the existing water agencies would be a more appropriate alternative for the implementation during a shorter period of time, given the technical and operational structure within which the current agencies function.