UK Statutory Instrument
2013
England
The Reservoirs Act 1975 (Capacity, Registration, Prescribed Forms, etc.) (England) Regulations 2013
At a glance
Enforced by
What's here
10 compliance obligations, 1 practical guide
Who this Act binds
Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.
- Statutory Undertaker 3
- Any Person 3
- Contractor 1
Plus 3 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.
Relevant guidance
Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.
Mentioned in related content
1 guidesOther 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.
Statutory Undertakers also bound by 169 other Acts (top 5 shown)
- The Cory Decarbonisation Project Order 2025 2025 116 duties
- The Keadby 3 (Carbon Capture Equipped Gas Fired Generating Station) Order 2022 2022 112 duties
- Water Industry Act 1991 1991 52 duties
- Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 2006 44 duties
- The A47 North Tuddenham to Easton Development Consent Order 2022 2022 28 duties
Any Person also bound by 2338 other Acts (top 5 shown)
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012 2012 169 duties
- Merchant Shipping Act 1995 1995 144 duties
- Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016 2016 101 duties
- Road Traffic Act 1988 1988 95 duties
- Air Navigation Order 2016 2016 95 duties
Contractors also bound by 178 other Acts (top 5 shown)
- The National Health Service (Personal Medical Services Agreements) Regulations 2015 2015 137 duties
- The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2015 2015 134 duties
- Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 2015 114 duties
- The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Wales) Regulations 2023 2023 93 duties
- The Health and Personal Social Services (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004 2004 87 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.
Schedules
Browse 21 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
Reports
Name and situation of reservoir.
Whether the large raised reservoir is designated as high-risk.
National grid reference of reservoir.
Name and address of undertakers.
A summary of the contents of all certificates or reports...
The following information if it is revealed by any certificate,...
Name and business address of the supervising engineer or, if...
Date when the next inspection is due under the 1975...
Particulars of any appointment made by the Agency under section...
Particulars of any appointment made by the Agency under section...
Interpretation
Prescribed matters
Name and address of undertakers serving notice.
Name and situation of reservoir.
National grid reference of approximate centre of the reservoir.
Whether the undertakers intend— (a) to construct a new large...
The date when it is intended that construction will commence...
Name and address of the construction engineer or, in the...
The following information about the reservoir as it will be...
Calculation of capacity of a large raised reservoir
- Calculate and record the water storage capacity of your reservoir Statutory Undertaker
Registration requirements
- Register your large raised reservoir with the Environment Agency Statutory Undertaker
Keeping and inspection of the English register
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Environment Agency must maintain and provide access to the reservoir register Statutory regulator
Reports by the Agency to the Secretary of State
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Environment Agency must report on reservoir safety and compliance Statutory regulator
Records of water levels etc.
- Maintain prescribed records for high-risk reservoirs Any Person
Forms of certificates of engineers
- Use prescribed forms for reservoir engineer certificates Any Person
Forms of reports of engineers
- Use prescribed forms for reservoir engineer reports Contractor
Forms of directions of engineers
- Engineers must use standard forms for reservoir directions Any Person
Prescribed information under section 21(1) to be provided by undertakers when intending to construct or bring back into use a large raised reservoir
- Provide specific information when building or restoring a large reservoir Statutory Undertaker
Review
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Secretary of State must review reservoir regulations every five years Crown / Minister / Government department
Browse 6 other sections — procedural / definitional / commencement
Citation, commencement, extent and application
Interpretation
Notification of changes to the English register
The English register: transitional arrangements
Reports to the Agency
Revocations
Official guidance
Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.
- Environment Agency Chief Regulator's report 2024-25: supporting evidence (opens in a new tab) from Environment Agency Publication
- Environment Agency enforcement and sanctions policy (opens in a new tab) from Environment Agency Publication
- Reservoir Legislation in England - Basic Legal Framework (opens in a new tab) Other
- Supervising panel engineers: contact details (opens in a new tab) from Environment Agency Publication
- Reservoir safety emergency on-site flood plans consultation (opens in a new tab) Detailed Guidance
- Regulating reservoir safety in Northern Ireland (opens in a new tab) Detailed Guidance
- Civil sanctions - Fixed Monetary Penalties and Variable Monetary Penalties for reservoir managers (opens in a new tab) Other
- Reservoirs (Scotland) Act 2011 Overview (opens in a new tab) Other
- Reservoir safety - Water (opens in a new tab) Other
- Reservoir offences (opens in a new tab) Other
- ... and 11 more
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 …
Connected legislation
parent Act
These instruments amend, apply, or refer to this Act. They may not all create direct business obligations.
Made under
Reservoirs Act 1975 1975 Primary Act
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Browse legislation
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Regulators
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