| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to provide for the establishment and functions of a National Rivers Authority and of committees to advise that Authority; to provide for the transfer of property, rights and liabilities of water authorities to the National Rivers Authority and to companies nominated by the Secretary of State and for the dissolution of those authorities; to provide for the appointment and functions of Director General of Water Services and the customer service committees; to provide for the companies to be appointed to be water undertakers and sewerage undertakers and for the regulation of the appointed companies; to make provision with respect to, and the finances of, nominated companies, holding companies of nominated companies and statutory water companies; to amend the law relating to the supply of water and the law relating to provisions of sewers and the treatment and disposal of sewage; to amend the law with respect to pollution of water and the law with respect to its abstraction from inland waters and underground strata; to make new provisions in relation to flood defence and fisheries; to transfer functions with respect to navigation, conservancy and harbours to the National rivers Authority; and for connected purposes. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 1989 c. 15 |
| Territorial extent | England and Wales |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 6 July 1989 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repeals/revokes | |
Status: Amended | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Water Act 1989 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
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,[1] 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.[2]
- ^ Porter 1978, pp. 19, 23.
- ^ Faolex 1989, Abstract.