Water Act 1989
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| Long title | An Act to provide for the establishment and functions of a National Rivers Authority and of committees to advise that Authority; to provide for the transfer of property, rights and liabilities of water authorities to the National Rivers Authority and to companies nominated by the Secretary of State and for the dissolution of those authorities; to provide for the appointment and functions of Director General of Water Services and the customer service committees; to provide for the companies to be appointed to be water undertakers and sewerage undertakers and for the regulation of the appointed companies; to make provision with respect to, and the finances of, nominated companies, holding companies of nominated companies and statutory water companies; to amend the law relating to the supply of water and the law relating to provisions of sewers and the treatment and disposal of sewage; to amend the law with respect to pollution of water and the law with respect to its abstraction from inland waters and underground strata; to make new provisions in relation to flood defence and fisheries; to transfer functions with respect to navigation, conservancy and harbours to the National rivers Authority; and for connected purposes. |
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| Citation | 1989 c. 15 |
| Territorial extent | England and Wales |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 6 July 1989 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Water Act 1989 (1989 c.15) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reorganised the bodies responsible for all aspects of water within England and Wales. Whereas previous legislation, particularly the Water Act 1973, had focused on providing a single unifying body with responsibility for all water-related function within a river basin or series of river basins, this legislation divided those functions up again, with water supply, sewerage and sewage disposal being controlled by private companies, and the river management, land drainage and pollution functions becoming the responsibility of the National Rivers Authority.
The concept of a unified authority with responsibility for all of the water-related functions within a river basin or series of river basins dates from the late nineteenth century. A river conservancy bill was introduced into Parliament in 1878 by the Duke of Richmond, and the Council of the Society of Arts offered medals to those who could devise suitable watershed districts to aid such conservancy. A silver medal was awarded to Frederick Toplis for his plan to create 12 watershed districts, which covered similar areas to the Water Authorities created under the Water Act 1973. Each District would be run by commissioners, with powers to acquire all of the waterworks within their area, and to manage both them and the rivers for water supply and the prevention of flooding and pollution. He wrote that "every drop of water falling on their district should be more or less under their control from the time it falls on the land until it reaches the sea."
Toplis's far-sighted ideas were not implemented immediately, but the first moves towards more widespread management of river basins in England and Wales were enshrined in the Land Drainage Act 1930. Although this was primarily concerned with flood prevention and land drainage, it created Catchment Boards with responsibility for the management of main rivers, and each was based around a river basin or group of river basins. The Catchment Boards only covered parts of England and Wales, but this changed in 1948, when the River Boards Act 1948 created 32 River Boards. Where Catchment Boards existed, their powers were inherited by the River Boards, and where they did not, they took over responsibility for flood prevention from local authorities. The River Boards had additional responsibilities concerning fisheries, the prevention of pollution and the gauging of rivers. They were in turn replaced by 27 River Authorities following the passing of the Water Resources Act 1963, each with additional duties to monitor water quality and protect water resources.
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