Apply for a water abstraction licence

How the Water Framework Directive shapes your application

Before the Environment Agency or Natural Resources Wales grants any abstraction licence, it must apply the Water Framework Directive no-deterioration test. This means the regulator will assess whether your proposed abstraction — alone or in combination with other abstractions in the catchment — could cause the affected surface water or groundwater body to drop a status class. If the test shows deterioration, the licence must be refused or conditioned to prevent it.

Practical implications for your application:

• Check the classification of the affected water body first. Use the Catchment Data Explorer (England) or Water Watch Wales to find the current ecological and chemical status. A water body already at Good or High status has little headroom for new abstraction.
• Catchment Abstraction Licensing Strategy (CALS) constraints. The Environment Agency publishes CALS for every catchment setting out how much water is available at different flow conditions. If your catchment shows "water not available" at the flow you want to abstract at, expect a refusal or a hands-off flow (HOF) condition requiring you to stop abstracting when flows fall below a specified threshold.
• Previously exempt abstractions. If your abstraction was historically exempt from licensing (for example, trickle irrigation, dewatering, or certain navigation abstractions) it must now be licensed under the Water Abstraction Licensing Reform. The transitional application window for previously exempt abstractions closed at the end of 2019 — if you missed it, you must apply for a new licence before abstracting, and conditions may be tighter than you are used to.
• Time-limited licences. Most new or varied licences are granted on a time-limited basis (typically six to eighteen years) to allow the regulator to adjust conditions at renewal in light of RBMP cycle updates.

Before you apply

The Environment Agency strongly recommends a pre-application enquiry before submitting a formal application. This is a chargeable service but can save time and money by identifying issues early. The pre-application process will tell you whether water is likely to be available in your catchment, what conditions may be attached, and whether your proposal might require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

Environmental Impact Assessment

Some abstraction proposals require screening under the Water Resources (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2003. The Environment Agency will tell you at the pre-application stage whether an EIA is needed. If required, you must submit an environmental statement with your application, which adds to both cost and processing time.

What you will need

Before starting your application, gather the following:

• a map showing the proposed abstraction point (1:10,000 or 1:25,000 scale)
• the maximum daily, annual, and hourly quantities you wish to abstract
• the purpose of the abstraction (for example, irrigation, industrial process, cooling)
• evidence of your right of access to the abstraction point (you must own or have legal access to the land)
• details of any existing abstraction licences you hold
• a water management plan (if the Environment Agency requests one)

Ongoing obligations

Once you hold an abstraction licence, you must:

• abstract only within the quantities and conditions specified on your licence
• submit annual abstraction returns to the Environment Agency, recording how much water you actually abstracted
• pay annual subsistence charges, calculated using a Standard Unit Charge multiplied by volume, source type, season, and loss factors
• notify the Environment Agency of any changes to your operations that might affect the licence
• apply to renew your licence at least 3 months before it expires (most full licences are granted for 6 to 18 years)

If you no longer need to abstract water, you should apply to revoke your licence to stop annual charges accruing.

Common situations

Agricultural irrigation

Many farms need abstraction licences for spray irrigation. Water availability may be restricted during dry periods through hands-off flow conditions, which require you to stop abstracting when river levels fall below a specified threshold.

Construction dewatering

Abstracting groundwater for dewatering excavations requires a licence if you remove more than 20 cubic metres per day. You may also need a water discharge permit if the pumped water is returned to a watercourse.

Hydropower

Hydropower schemes require a transfer licence for the abstraction. You will also need a flood risk activity permit for any structures on or near the watercourse.

What to do next

After securing your abstraction licence, check whether you also need:

• a water discharge permit if you are returning abstracted water to the environment after use
• a flood risk activity permit if your abstraction involves structures on or near a main river
• an impounding licence if you are constructing a dam, weir, or similar structure
• planning permission for any associated infrastructure such as pump houses or pipelines