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Joan Collins ALL new buildings in the Balearics which are connected to the public water system will have to have regulators for low water consumption and be on individual water meters, according to new legislation passed yesterday by the Balearic Cabinet. The spokesperson for the Balearic Government, Joan Flaquer, said after the Cabinet meeting that this legislation is a development of the 2001 Hydraulic Plan for the Balearic Islands and covers new homes and new tourist, industrial, commercial and agricultural establishments, and also existing buildings whose refurbishment involves plumbing. There could be exemptions to this last category such as listed or protected buildings and those in which, by virtue of their age, it is not possible to install this new equipment. This legislation, which will come into force three months after its publication in the Balearic Government's Official Bulletin, will not apply to the projects planned before that date by the Professional Colleges. The equipment which is to be installed for measuring and saving water has to be officially approved, and the Balearic Ministry for the Environment will publish annual lists of approved equipment. The ultimate choice of the regulators for low water consumption is the responsibility of the company installing them. The legislation. ratified yesterday by the local Cabinet, also regulates the characteristics of the places where the water meters are installed, and says that if the company which supplies the water “cannot guarantee a minimum pressure in the supply”, the promotor of the property can build a depository with a general water meter, from which water can be pumped to each home, passing through their individual meters. The installation of the water meters is the responsibility of the supply company which, as their owner, is responsible for their maintenance and their replacement when they have been in place for a maximum of seven years.