UK Act of Parliament 1991 United Kingdom

Water Resources Act 1991

At a glance

What's here

64 compliance obligations, 18 practical guides across 3 topics · 19 journeys · 13 statutory instruments

Penalty landscape

11 of 64 obligations carry up to 2 years imprisonment. 16 carry different penalties and 37 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Any Person 32
  • Licence Holder 2
  • Applicant 1
  • Operator 1
  • Occupier 1
  • Director or Officer 1
  • Landlord 1

Plus 25 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Step-by-step journeys using this legislation

Walkthroughs that take you from a real business situation to compliance.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Direct — cites this Act

1 guides

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Licence Holders also bound by 50 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Applicants also bound by 146 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Operators also bound by 125 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Occupiers also bound by 101 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Directors and Officers also bound by 224 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Landlords also bound by 70 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part II — Water Resources Management

s.020

Water resources management schemes.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Environment Agency must maintain water management schemes with undertakers Statutory regulator
s.025

Consequences of not complying with an enforcement notice

Unlimited fine
  • Fail to comply with an enforcement notice Any Person
s.038

General consideration of applications.

  • Apply for or vary water abstraction and impoundment licences Any Person
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulator must determine water licence applications based on specific criteria Statutory regulator
s.040

Obligation to take river flow etc. into account.

  • Assess water abstraction impact on river flow levels Any Person
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulators must consider river flow levels when assessing water licences Statutory regulator
s.059

Transfer of licence

  • Notify the relevant agency to transfer a water licence Licence Holder
s.059

Vesting of licence on death or bankruptcy of holder

  • Notify the regulator if you inherit or take over a water licence Any Person
s.065

Licences of right.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Environment Agency must grant water 'licences of right' under Schedule 7 Statutory regulator
s.067

Ecclesiastical property.

  • Manage water abstraction licences for Church of England (ecclesiastical) land Any Person
Browse 74 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.020

Water resources management schemes: other abstractors

s.020

Water resources management schemes: referral to Secretary of State

s.020

Proposals for bulk supply arrangements

s.024

Abstraction licences

s.025

Enforcement notices

s.025

Rights of entry and appeals

s.027

Variation of small quantity threshold

s.033

Power to provide for further exemptions

s.036

Applications: types of abstraction licence

s.037

Power to dispense with publication requirements

s.039

Protected rights for the purposes of this Chapter

s.039

Register of certain protected rights

s.046

Limited extension of abstraction licence validity

s.046

Power to impose general conditions with respect to licensed activity by water companies

s.048

Civil remedies for loss or damage due to water abstraction

s.059

Apportionment of licence to abstract

s.059

Apportionment of licence to abstract: supplementary

s.061

Recovery of compensation from new licence-holder

s.061

No compensation where modification to protect environment: England

s.061

No compensation where variation to remove excess headroom: England

s.079

Drought permits.

Part III — Control of Pollution of Water Resources

s.091

Mine operators to give the appropriate agency six months’ notice of any proposed abandonment.

Unlimited fine
  • Give six months' notice before abandoning a mine Operator
s.093

Water protection zones.

2 years imprisonment
  • Carry out prohibited activity in a water protection zone Any Person
Browse 19 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part VI — FINANCIAL PROVISIONS IN RELATION TO THE APPROPRIATE AGENCY

Browse 13 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part VII — Land and Works Powers

s.161

Notices requiring persons to carry out works and operations

Amended 10 times
s.161

Works notices: form etc

Amended 10 times
s.161

Works notices: exceptions etc

Amended 10 times
s.161

Grant of, and compensation for, rights of entry etc.

2 years imprisonment Amended 10 times
  • Grant access for required water works and claim compensation Any Person
s.161

Appeals against works notices.

Amended 10 times
s.161

Consequences of not complying with a works notice.

Amended 10 times
  • Fail to comply with a works notice Any Person
s.161

Other works and operations in respect of harm to controlled waters

Amended 10 times
s.161

Works and operations for improving controlled waters

Amended 10 times
s.161

Sections 161 to 161ZB: supplementary

Amended 10 times
s.167

Flood defence and drainage works

Amended 3 times
Browse 7 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part VIII — INFORMATION PROVISIONS

s.192

Maps of fresh-water limits.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Government and Environment Agency must maintain and publish fresh-water maps Crown / Minister / Government department
s.193

The main river map for England

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Environment Agency must maintain the official main river map for England Statutory regulator
s.193

Inspection and copies

  • Pay usage fees for commercial access to main river map data Any Person
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Environment Agency must provide access to and copies of main river maps Statutory regulator
s.194

The main river map for Wales

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • NRW must maintain the main river map for Wales Statutory regulator
s.194

Inspection and copies

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • NRW must provide access to and copies of the Welsh main river map Statutory regulator
s.199

Appeals against conservation notices under section 199

Amended 4 times
Browse 11 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.191

Exclusion from registers of information affecting national security.

s.191

Exclusion from registers of certain confidential information.

s.193

Replacing the main river map for England

s.193

Determinations as to main rivers

s.193

Appeals

s.193

Guidance

s.194

Replacing the main river map for Wales

s.194

Determinations as to main rivers

s.194

Appeals

s.194

Guidance

Part IX — MISCELLANEOUS AND SUPPLEMENTAL

s.216

Enforcement: powers and duties.

Amended 1 time
  • Comply with water abstraction and impounding restrictions Any Person
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Environment Agency and others must enforce water resource regulations Statutory regulator
Browse 4 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Schedules

s.sch022

PROCTECTION FOR PARTICULAR UNDERTAKINGS

Fine up to £1,000
  • Interfere with railway or navigation property during street works Any Person
  • Unauthorised street works affecting railways or navigation authorities Any Person
Browse 23 other Schedules — structural / supplementary

Other sections — not classified into a Part

These sections exist in the Act but the contents-of-Parts walker did not place them under a Part. Likely amendments or sections inserted out of the original Part structure.

Browse 1 other unclassified section
s.table of derivations

Table of Derivations

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

Environmental protection in England. Regulates waste, emissions, water quality, flood risk, and environmental permits for industrial activities. Enforces environmental law and issues …

Water Services Regulation Authority

Economic regulator for the water and sewerage sectors in England and Wales. Sets price limits, monitors service quality, and enforces environmental duties. …

OEP

Office for Environmental Protection

Independent body established post-Brexit to scrutinise environmental law and investigate complaints about public authorities' failures to comply with environmental law in England …

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries, and rural communities. Sets environmental policy and works with agencies …

Mining Remediation Authority (formerly Coal Authority)

Manages effects of historical coal mining in England, Scotland, and Wales. Handles subsidence damage claims, mine water pollution, and other mining legacy …

NRW

Natural Resources Wales

Principal environmental regulator for Wales. Combines functions of Environment Agency Wales, Countryside Council for Wales, and Forestry Commission Wales. Issues environmental permits, …

13 statutory instruments

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