- Enforced by
- SEPA
- Status
- Amended (in force with amendments)
- Penalty ceiling
- Imprisonment 8 of 60 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 7 carry different penalties and 45 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.
Does it bind you?
Business-side roles with duties under this instrument.
Plus 20 duties on the regulator, Crown ministers and public bodies — folded into the section list below.
Other Acts binding the same actors
If a role above is yours, these are the other instruments that most often bind it.
Operator — also bound by 803 other Acts
Any Person — also bound by 2684 other Acts
Director or Officer — also bound by 482 other Acts
Occupier — also bound by 246 other Acts
What it requires
Sections creating concrete business duties or carrying penalties, grouped as the instrument is structured. Titles link to the source text — blue means you’re leaving for legislation.gov.uk.
Reservoirs
64 of 108 sections shown- Notify SEPA and engineers when nominating a lead reservoir managerAny Person
- Fail to co‑operate with other reservoir managersAny Person
Unlimited fine
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- SEPA must publish guidance on reservoir management and co-operationStatutory regulator
- Register your controlled reservoir with SEPAOperator
- Register existing controlled reservoirs with SEPA within 6 monthsOperator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Scottish Ministers must set registration deadlines for existing reservoirsCrown / Minister / Government department
- Register new controlled reservoirs with SEPAOccupier
- Notify SEPA when you stop being or become a reservoir managerOperator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Local authorities must transfer reservoir records and assist SEPALocal authority
- Fail to comply with reservoir registration requirementsAny Person
Unlimited fine
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- SEPA must give a provisional risk designation to registered reservoirsStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- SEPA must issue a formal risk designation and notice for reservoirsStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- SEPA must periodically review reservoir risk designationsStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- SEPA must decide and notify of reservoir risk designations following reviewStatutory regulator
- Appeal a reservoir risk designation to the Scottish MinistersOperator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Scottish Ministers must establish panels of qualified reservoir engineersCrown / Minister / Government department
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Scottish Ministers must consult experts on reservoir engineer panel decisionsCrown / Minister / Government department
- Appoint a construction engineer and notify SEPA before reservoir worksOperator
- Construction engineer must supervise works and provide safety reportsOperator
- Engineer must issue safety reports for reservoir worksOperator
- Comply with safety directions and manage safety measure certificatesOperator
- Engineer must issue preliminary certificates and notify SEPAOperator
- Engineer must issue construction certificates and notify SEPAOperator
- Engineer must issue a final certificate for reservoir worksOperator
- Comply with reservoir preliminary and final certificatesOperator
- Appoint a qualified inspecting engineer and notify SEPAOperator
- Arrange inspections of high-risk and medium-risk reservoirs at specified intervalsOperator
- Provide existing certificates and reports to the inspecting engineerOperator
- Comply with directions in reservoir inspection reportsOperator
- Appoint a supervising engineer and notify SEPAOperator
- Supervise reservoir safety and monitor complianceOperator
- Maintain records and install monitoring equipment for high-risk reservoirsOperator
- Fail to meet reservoir inspection, supervision and record‑keeping dutiesAny Person
- Fail to report incident at a controlled reservoirAny Person
Unlimited fine
- Fail to comply with flood‑plan duties for a controlled reservoirAny Person
Unlimited fine
- Maintain comprehensive safety and maintenance records for reservoirsOperator
Unlimited fine
- Display emergency response information at the reservoirOperator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Referee must issue referral certificate and modified reports within 28 daysTribunal / Court
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Referee must issue referral certificates after reviewing reservoir documentsTribunal / Court
- Fail to comply with SEPA engineer appointment noticeAny Person
- Pay SEPA's costs if they step in to appoint an engineerOperator
- Comply with SEPA enforcement notice and pay consultation costsOperator
- Fail to comply with SEPA safety noticeAny Person
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- SEPA can step in and do safety work if reservoir manager fails to complyStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- SEPA must issue a completion certificate once safety steps are metStatutory regulator
- Fail to comply with a stop noticeAny Person
- Pay SEPA for emergency works carried out at your reservoirOperator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- SEPA must follow specific notice procedures for enforcement measuresStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- SEPA must publish guidance on enforcement and stop noticesStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Scottish Ministers must publish guidance on the appeals processCrown / Minister / Government department
- Prevent or obstruct entry to a reservoirAny Person
Unlimited fine
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- SEPA must pay compensation for damage or disturbance during land entryStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- SEPA must report to Scottish Ministers on reservoir complianceStatutory regulator
- Provide reasonable facilities and records to reservoir engineersOperator
- Provide information and assistance to SEPA regarding your reservoirOperator
Unlimited fine
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Scottish Ministers must publish and review guidance on reservoir operationsCrown / Minister / Government department
- Fail to give SEPA notice of engineer revocation or resignationAny Person
Unlimited fine · amended 1 time (opens in a new tab)
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- SEPA must follow directions from Scottish Ministers regarding reservoirsStatutory regulator
44 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
Protection of the water environment – remedial and restoration measures
1 of 1 section shown- Fail to comply with reservoir remedial or restoration measuresAny Person
2 years imprisonment · amended 1 time (opens in a new tab)
General
5 of 7 sections shown- Corporate or partnership offence under the Reservoirs (Scotland) ActDirector or Officer
2 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
1 other provision
Help complying
Guvnor’s practical routes through this instrument.
Set up a water supply business
Learning path for water collection, treatment and supply businesses. Work out which regulations apply, put your workplace foundations in place, meet your …
Register a large reservoir and keep it safe
If your reservoir can hold 25,000 cubic metres or more of water above the natural level of the surrounding land, you must …
1 more guide that reference this instrument
Duty extraction and severity labels are Guvnor’s analysis of the instrument, not the instrument itself. Always verify against the linked source text.