The Water Industry Act 1991 (c. 56) is an

Act of the United Kingdom Parliament In the United Kingdom an act of Parliament is primary legislation passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. An act of Parliament can be enforced in all four of the UK constituent countries ( England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Irelan ...

consolidating previous enactments relating to the

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...

and the provision of

wastewater Wastewater is water generated after the use of freshwater, raw water, drinking water or saline water in a variety of deliberate applications or processes. Another definition of wastewater is "Used water from any combination of domestic, industrial ...

services in England and Wales. It further implemented recommendations of the

Law Commission A law commission, law reform commission, or law revision commission is an independent body set up by a government to conduct law reform; that is, to consider the state of laws in a jurisdiction and make recommendations or proposals for legal chang ...

Arrangement

The Act is divided into eight parts and a further 15 Schedules are attached

Sections

*Part 1 deals with the appointment and duties of the ''Director General of Water Services''. *Part 2 deals with appointment and regulation of ''Undertakers'', the

private sector The private sector is the part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The ...

water companies responsible for maintaining the

water supply system A water supply network or water supply system is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components that provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes the following: # A drainage basin (see water purification – sourc ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. *Part 3 deals with the duties of the water companies with respect to water supply in England and Wales, *Part 4 deals with the duties of the water companies with respect to

sewerage Sewerage (or sewage system) is the infrastructure that conveys sewage or surface runoff (stormwater, meltwater, rainwater) using sewers. It encompasses components such as receiving drainage, drains, manholes, pumping stations, storm overflows, a ...

. *Part 5 deals with the financial provisions for operating the system *Part 6 gives the water companies certain powers in order to discharge their duties. *Part 7 deals with the provision of information to interested parties *Part 8 deals with miscellaneous details such as limiting the right to prosecute water companies in respect of sewerage offences.

Schedules

Notable schedule within the act include 4 Customer Service Committees; 5 Pressure and Constancy of Supply; 6 Rights of Entry; 9 & 12 Compensation Provisions.

Part 2 Water Undertakers

As of 1 April 2005 the full list of undertakers was Ofwat: Water companies' contact details
/ref> *

Scottish Water Scottish Water is a statutory corporation that provides water and sewerage services across Scotland. It is accountable to the public through the Scottish Government. Operations Scottish Water provides drinking water to 2.46 million household ...

Anglian Water Anglian Water is a water company that operates in the East of England. It was formed in 1989 under the partial privatisation of the water industry. It provides water supply, sewerage and sewage treatment to the area formerly the responsibility ...

Services Ltd *

Northumbrian Water Northumbrian Water Limited is a water company in the United Kingdom, providing mains water and sewerage services in the English counties of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham and parts of North Yorkshire, and also supplying water as Essex an ...

Ltd *

Severn Trent Water Severn Trent plc is a water company based in Coventry, England. It supplies 4.6 million households and business across the Midlands and Wales. It is traded on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Severn Trent, the ...

Ltd * Southern Water Services Ltd *

South West Water South West Water provides drinking water and waste water services throughout Devon and Cornwall and in small areas of Dorset and Somerset. South West Water was created in 1989 with the privatisation of the water industry. It was preceded by the ...

Ltd *

Thames Water Thames Water Utilities Ltd, known as Thames Water, is a large private utility company responsible for the public water supply and waste water treatment in most of Greater London, Luton, the Thames Valley, Surrey, Gloucestershire, north W ...

Utilities Ltd *

United Utilities United Utilities Group plc (UU), the United Kingdom's largest listed water company, was founded in 1995 as a result of the merger of North West Water and NORWEB. The group manages the regulated water and waste water network in North West Engla ...

Water PLC ormerly North West Water Ltd*

Welsh Water Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

- Dwr Cymru Cyfyngedig *

Wessex Water Wessex Water Services Limited, known as Wessex Water, is a water supply and sewerage utility company serving an area of South West England, covering 10,000 square kilometres including Bristol, most of Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire and parts ...

Services Ltd *

Yorkshire Water Yorkshire Water is a water supply and treatment utility company servicing West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire, part of North Lincolnshire, most of North Yorkshire and part of Derbyshire, in England. The company has its ...

Services Ltd *Water only undertakers **

Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water Bournemouth Water provides drinking water to approximately 500,000 people from the port town of Poole to Beaulieu in the New Forest and from Bournemouth to Salisbury in Wiltshire, an area of over 1000 square kilometres. History Bournemouth ...

Plc 1 April 2005 **

Bristol Water Bristol Water is a British water company which supplies 266 million litres of drinking water daily to over 1.2 million customers in a area centred on Bristol, England. It is regulated under the Water Industry Act 1991. Sewerage services in ...

plc 1 April 2005 ** Cambridge Water plc 1 April 2005 ** Cholderton and District Water Company Ltd 1 April 2005 **

Dee Valley Water (, after the two main rivers in its region) is a water company providing water and wastewater treatment services, operating in north east and mid Wales. It provides water only in Wrexham and parts of Denbighshire and Flintshire and both water ...

plc 1 April 2005 **Folkestone and Dover Water Services Ltd 1 April 2005 ** Mid Kent Water Ltd 26 August 2005 **

Portsmouth Water Portsmouth Water is the utility company responsible for water supply and distribution in the City of Portsmouth, part of East Hampshire and part of West Sussex. Places served include Gosport, Fareham, Portsmouth, Havant, Chichester, and Bo ...

Ltd 1 April 2005 ** South East Water Ltd 1 April 2005 **

South Staffordshire Water South Staffordshire Water plc known as South Staffs Water is a UK water supply company owned by a privately owned utilities company serving parts of Staffordshire the West Midlands as well as small areas of surrounding counties in England. Sout ...

plc 30 September 2005 ** Sutton and East Surrey Water plc 1 April 2005 **

Tendring Hundred Water Veolia Water East, formerly known as Tendring Hundred Water Services, was a privately owned company supplying water to the Tendring peninsula in north east Essex within an area of . In July 2009, the company, a subsidiary of Veolia Water UK sin ...

Services Ltd 1 April 2005 **

Three Valleys Water Veolia Water Central (formerly Three Valleys Water) was a privately owned company supplying water to Hertfordshire and parts of Surrey, North London and Bedfordshire, in England. It was owned by Veolia Environnement, a French company with internat ...

Services plc

Part 3 Water Supply

Part 3 Imposes a duty to maintain an efficient and economical water supply system and proscribes minimum standards of performance in connection with water supply.

Standards of wholesomeness

Clause 67 of the act allows the Secretary of State to proscribe Standards of ''wholesomeness'' for water; prescribing the purposes for which the water is to be suitable; substances that are to be present or absent and the concentrations.

References

*''Water Industry Act 1991 (c. 56)''; HMSO

External links

Water Industry Act 1991, as amended
{{UK Water Management, state=collapsed United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1991