NCJ Number
130124
Journal
Journal of Law and Society Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: special issue (Spring 1991) Pages: 95-109
Date Published
1991
Length
15 pages
Annotation
The Water Act of 1989 provided the legal basis for privatizing the water industry in the United Kingdom, and the compromise reached in this legislation between the policy objective of privatization and the need to safeguard the aquatic environment made a distinction between utility and regulatory functions of water management.
Abstract
The act created the National Rivers Authority at a time when concern about water quality was at a high level. The most recent survey of water quality in rivers and estuaries conducted by the Department of the Environment showed that water quality had declined during the preceding 5 years and that certain waterways were in especially poor condition. The National Rivers Authority has figured prominently in government measures to protect the aquatic environment and in legal proceedings. The authority has specific pollution control responsibilities related to water resources, flood defense, salmon and freshwater fisheries, and navigation and harbor authority functions. The authority must further the conservation and enhancement of natural beauty in the environment and must conserve flora, fauna, and other geological or physiological features of special interest. Its strategic duty to control pollution in controlled waters is formulated in three parts: classification of water quality; specification of water quality objectives; and duty to achieve and maintain these objectives. The authority can initiate criminal actions against offenders and can impose water pollution fines. 86 notes and references