Some aspects of international legislations are presented as an implementation example of measures for integrated water resources management and restoration of fluvial systems. Regulations and guideliness related with water resources and land-use planning are reviewed, and it is concluded that the river still is not conceived as a system, and that is not enough to recover water quality if the improvement of the ecosystem quality is the goal, but it is necessary to know the surface currents of the county for applying a set of activities aimed at restoring the fluvial corridors. This article expects to provide elements that fulfill gaps of the current Colombian legislation, and that constitutes an starting point for the actions associated with water resources in the country.