UK Act of Parliament 2003 United Kingdom

Water Act 2003

An Act to amend the Water Resources Act 1991 and the Water Industry Act 1991; to make provision with respect to compensation under section 61 of the Water Resources Act 1991; to provide for the establishment and functions of the Water Services Regulation Authority and the Consumer Council for Water, and for the abolition of the office of Director General of Water Services; to make provision in connection with land drainage and flood defence; to amend the Reservoirs Act 1975; to make provision about contaminated land so far as it relates to the pollution of controlled waters; to confer on the Coal Authority functions in relation to the discharge of water from coal mines; to extend the functions of the Environment Agency in relation to the Rivers Esk, Sark and Tweed and their tributaries so far as they are in England; to repeal section 1 of the Metropolis Water Act 1852; and for connected purposes. Show full description

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At a glance

Enforced by

Environment Agency, Ofwat, DWI

What's here

15 compliance obligations, 2 practical guides across 2 topics · 1 journey

Penalty landscape

4 of 15 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 2 carry different penalties and 9 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 9
Trader 3
Occupier 2
Employer 1

Step-by-step journeys using this legislation

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

Water Framework Directive compliance for businesses

1 step

Relevant guidance

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

Supporting — topic alignment

1 guides

Apply for a water abstraction licence

Mentioned in related content

1 guides

Water management and drought resilience for businesses

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 487 other Acts (top 5 shown)

Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016 2016 162 duties
Air Navigation Order 2016 2016 106 duties
Merchant Shipping Act 1995 1995 104 duties
Road Traffic Act 1988 1988 101 duties
Licensing Act 2003 2003 92 duties

Traders also bound by 248 other Acts (top 5 shown)

Value Added Tax Regulations 1995 1995 928 duties
The Customs (Import Duty) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018 2018 93 duties
Space Industry Regulations 2021 2021 70 duties
Council Directive 2006/112/EC (EU VAT Directive - retained for reference) 2006 67 duties
Payment Services Regulations 2017 2017 58 duties

Occupiers also bound by 107 other Acts (top 5 shown)

Avian Influenza and Influenza of Avian Origin in Mammals (England) (No. 2) Order 2006 2006 36 duties
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (England/Wales comparison) 2005 29 duties
Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 2006 22 duties
Industrial Emissions Directive (retained EU law) 2010 19 duties
Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2015 2015 14 duties

Employers also bound by 192 other Acts (top 5 shown)

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 1998 176 duties
The Income Tax (Pay As You Earn) Regulations 2003 2003 123 duties
Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 (current NI employment law) 1996 84 duties
Employment Rights Act 1996 1996 56 duties
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 1989 52 duties

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.