Water Act 1989

The Water Act 1989 (c. 15) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reorganised the bodies responsible for all aspects of water within England and Wales. Whereas previous legislation, particularly the Water Act 1973, had focused on providing a single unifying body with responsibility for all water-related functions within a river basin or series of river basins, this legislation divided those functions up again, with water supply, sewerage and sewage disposal being controlled by private companies, and the river management, land drainage and pollution functions becoming the responsibility of the National Rivers Authority.

Background

The concept of a unified authority with responsibility for all of the water-related functions within a river basin or series of river basins dates from the late nineteenth century. A river conservancy bill was introduced into Parliament in 1878 by the Duke of Richmond, and the Council of the Society of Arts offered medals to those who could devise suitable watershed districts to aid such conservancy. A silver medal was awarded to Frederick Toplis for his plan to create 12 watershed districts, which covered similar areas to the water authorities created under the Water Act 1973. Each district would be run by commissioners, with powers to acquire all of the waterworks within their area, and to manage both them and the rivers for water supply and the prevention of flooding and pollution. He wrote that "every drop of water falling on their district should be more or less under their control from the time it falls on the land until it reaches the sea."

Toplis's far-sighted ideas were not implemented immediately, but the first moves towards more widespread management of river basins in England and Wales were enshrined in the Land Drainage Act 1930. Although this was primarily concerned with flood prevention and land drainage, it created catchment boards with responsibility for the management of main rivers, and each was based around a river basin or group of river basins. The catchment boards only covered parts of England and Wales, but this changed in 1948, when the River Boards Act 1948 created 32 river boards.