Water Resources Act 1963
Act of Parliament | |
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Long title | An Act to provide for the establishment of river authorities and a Water Resources Board, to confer on them, and on the Minister of Housing and Local Government, new functions in relation to water resources in England and Wales, and to provide for the transfer to river authorities of functions previously exercisable by river boards and other bodies; to make further provision for controlling the abstraction and impounding of water, for imposing charges in respect of licences to abstract or impound water, and for securing the protection and proper use of inland waters and water in underground strata; to enable corresponding provision to be made in relation to the Thames and Lee catchment areas and certain other areas in or adjacent to London; and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid. |
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Citation | 1963 c. 38 |
Territorial extent | England and Wales |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 31 July 1963 |
Other legislation | |
Repeals/revokes | River Boards Act 1948 |
The Water Resources Act 1963 (c. 38) is an
Scope
The legislation made provision for a "first appointed day", on which the river authorities would come into existence, and this was set on 15 October 1964, as a result of the River Authorities (First Appointed Day) Order 1964. A River Authorities (Second Appointed Day) Order 1964 established 1 April 1965 as the day on which the new authorities would take over the responsibilities of the previous River Boards, which would then cease to exist. The River Boards Act 1948, under which they had been established, was also repealed on that day. Under the new legislation, twenty-seven River Authorities replaced the 32 existing River Boards. As well as inheriting land drainage, fisheries and the prevention of pollution functions, the new authorities were given additional duties to monitor water quality and protect water resources. They thus became responsible for inland waters and the underground strata which existed within their area. The Act made special provision for the River Thames and
The Act consisted of 137 sections organised into ten parts. Part 1 outlined the functions of Ministers in relation to water resources. Part 2 dealt with the setting up of River Authorities and the Water Resources Board. Part 3 covered the assessment of water resources. Part 4 dealt with the abstraction and impounding of water, while part 5 dealt with charges for abstraction and impounding of water. The powers of River Authorities in relation to land were covered by part 6, while part 7 outlined additional functions of River Authorities. Part 8 dealt with financial considerations, part 9 detailed the transfer of undertakings of River Boards, and part 10 covered miscellaneous and supplementary provisions. This was followed by 14 schedules.[6]
While the Water Act 1945 had introduced the concept of a national policy for water, it had not provided the means to achieve one, but this was addressed by the formation of the Water Resources Board. This was a national organisation, which was independent of central government, and was responsible for the collection of data, research, and planning. Although it had no statutory powers over the River Authorities, it influenced their actions through negotiation, and was very successful in this. It produced three major reports on water resources between 1966 and 1971, in which it foresaw the need for transfers of water between rivers, and in some cases, between regions. Its final report, Water Resources in England and Wales, published in early 1974, outlined strategies for ensuring an adequate water supply for the next 25 years. In the consultation leading up to the Water Act 1973, it was argued that the Water Resources Board should be empowered to undertake major projects in its own right, but when the Act was passed, the Board was disbanded and its functions were dispersed among other agencies.[7]
The twenty-seven river authorities were detailed in schedule 1 of the Act.[8]
River Authority | Former River Boards |
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Northumbrian | Northumberland and Tyneside RB, Wear and Tees RB |
Yorkshire Ouse and Hull | Hull and East Yorkshire RB, Yorkshire Ouse RB |
Trent | Trent RB |
Lincolnshire | Lincolnshire RB |
Welland and Nene | Welland RB, Nene RB |
Great Ouse | Great Ouse RB |
East Suffolk and Norfolk | East Suffolk and Norfolk RB |
Essex | Essex RB |
Kent | Kent RB |
Sussex | East Sussex RB, West Sussex RB |
Hampshire | Hampshire RB |
Isle of Wight | Isle of Wight RB |
Avon and Dorset | Avon and Dorset RB |
Devon | Devon RB |
Cornwall | Cornwall RB |
Somerset | Somerset RB |
Bristol Avon | Bristol Avon RB |
Severn | Severn RB |
Wye | Wye RB |
Usk | Usk RB |
Glamorgan | Glamorgan RB |
South West Wales | South West Wales RB |
Gwynedd | Gwynedd RB |
Dee and Clwyd | Dee and Clwyd RB |
Mersey and Weaver | Mersey RB, Cheshire RB |
Lancashire | Lancashire RB |
Cumberland | Cumberland RB |
Bibliography
- Legislation (1963). Water Resources Act 1963 (PDF). HMSO.
- Porter, Elizabeth (1978). Water Management in England and Wales. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-21865-8.
- Wisdom, A S (1966). Land Drainage. London: Sweet & Maxwell.
References
- ^ Legislation 1963, p. 1.
- ^ Legislation 1963, p. 4.
- ^ Porter 1978, p. 19.
- ^ Porter 1978, p. 25.
- ^ Wisdom 1966, p. 4.
- ^ Legislation 1963, pp. i–vi.
- ^ Porter 1978, pp. 29–30.
- ^ "Schedule 1 River Authorities". National Archives. Retrieved 6 August 2020.