Main rivers ( Welsh : prif afonydd ) are a statutory type of watercourse in England and Wales , usually larger streams and rivers, but also some smaller watercourses. A main river is designated by being marked as such on a main river map, and can include any structure or appliance for controlling or regulating the flow of water in, into or out of a main river. Every other open watercourse in England and Wales is determined by statute as an ' ordinary watercourse '.
14-665: Anglian Water Authority was formed in 1974 by virtue of the Water Act 1973 as one of the regional water authorities . It established its headquarters in Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire. The authority boundary was the pre-existing boundaries of the constituent river authorities whose total area made Anglian Water Authority the largest of the ten newly created Authorities. It subsumed the roles and responsibilities of: It also took over sewage treatment and sewerage responsibilities of all
28-399: A silver medal for his plan to create 12 watershed districts, each run by commissioners, who would have 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 saw the need for each to be supported by competent legal advisers and engineers. His watershed districts were remarkably similar to
42-499: A unified authority with responsibility for all of the water-related functions within a river basin or series of river basins was not new. The Duke of Richmond introduced a river conservancy bill into Parliament in 1878, and the Council of the Society of Arts was prepared to award medals to those who could devise suitable watershed districts to aid such conservancy. Frederick Toplis received
56-676: The Environment Agency ; Defra statutory guidance, issued under section 193E of the Water Resources Act 1991 , advises that the Environment Agency should classify a watercourse as a main river if it is likely to have flood consequences for significant numbers of people or properties, or if it is likely to contribute to significant flooding across the catchment. Natural Resources Wales decides which rivers are classified as main rivers, and carries out works to manage flood risk in
70-570: The Land Drainage Act 1930 , which although primarily concerned with land drainage to prevent flooding, created catchment boards . These were responsible for the management of main rivers , and each was based around a river basin or group of river basins. Because of the emphasis on land drainage, they did not cover the whole of England and Wales, but this changed in 1948, when the River Boards Act 1948 created 32 river boards . They inherited
84-444: The Water Act 1945 had marked the start of a national water supply policy. It had recognised the need for central government to supervise the statutory suppliers of water, and to be involved in the difficult issues of water supply. It had also recognised that the supply of water to non-domestic consumers was part of an integrated policy, and had introduced the concept of abstraction licensing. In many areas, pollution of rivers by sewage
98-551: The Flood and Water Management Act 2010. The Environment Agency's powers to carry out flood defence works apply to main rivers and the sea only; they do not apply to ordinary watercourses. The Environment Agency does not have to maintain or construct new works on main rivers or the sea and it is unlikely to maintain a watercourse to improve its amenity or to stop erosion that does not increase flood risk. Main rivers in England are designated by
112-575: The areas of super-sets of river authorities which were also subsumed into the new authorities. Each regional water authority consisted of members appointed by the Secretary of State for the Environment , and by the various local authorities in its area. The Act also established a National Water Council . This body consisted of a chairman nominated by the minister, the chairmen of each regional authority and not more than ten additional members nominated by
126-491: The government. The Council's duties included implementing national water policy, assisting the ten regional authorities in matters of joint concern, and setting and enforcing national regulations and byelaws on water quality and conservation. The 1973 Act was another step towards an integrated policy of water management, which like much of the previous legislation, was restricted to England and Wales, with Northern Ireland and Scotland being specifically excluded. The concept of
140-515: The local authorities in the area with the exception of: It also became responsible for the water supply functions previously exercised by the following: In 1989, the privatisation of the water industry in England and Wales saw the creation of Anglian Water who took over the water treatment and supply and sewerage and sewage disposal functions. All the remaining regulatory functions including flood control, water quality management, pollution control and water resource management were transferred to
154-641: The newly created National Rivers Authority , which was subsequently subsumed into the new Environment Agency in 1996. Water Act 1973 The Water Act 1973 (c. 37) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reorganised the water, sewage and river management industry in England and Wales . Water supply and sewage disposal were removed from local authority control, and ten larger regional water authorities were set up, under state control based on
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#1732847944181168-537: The powers of the catchment boards where they existed, and took over responsibility for flood prevention from local authorities where they did not. The river boards had additional responsibilities concerning fisheries, the prevention of pollution and the gauging of rivers, to record flows and levels. They were in turn replaced by 27 river authorities following the passing of the Water Resources Act 1963 , each with additional duties to monitor water quality and protect water resources. In parallel with these developments,
182-562: The water authorities created under the 1973 Act, but quite different to those of the other five entrants whose plans were also published at the time. The only bodies which were responsible for a range of water management functions were the Thames Conservancy , created in 1857, and the Lee Conservancy Board , created in 1868. The first moves towards more widespread management of river basins in England and Wales were enshrined in
196-731: Was a serious problem, resulting from rapid expansion of population, and little incentive to invest in sewage treatment works. The Rivers (Prevention of Pollution) Act 1951 introduced discharge licensing, and with extra powers from a similar Act of 1961, tried to encourage local authorities to invest more in such works, but the Working Party on Sewage Disposal, which reported in 1970, concluded that there were over 3,000 sewage treatment works which were performing inadequately. Main river The Environment Agency carries out maintenance, improvement or construction work on main rivers to manage flood risk as part of its duties and powers as defined by
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