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These documents stated that the long-term prospects for
water supply in this country, and for maintaining and improving
the quality of our rivers give rise to serious concern. The
Department of the Environment have reached the conclusion that
the way in which responsibilities for managing water are distributed
at present imposes a handicap which can no longer be
accepted and that a comprehensive reshaping of the machinery
is called for.
The responsibility in this field at present is fragmented
between more than 1,400 different bodies and the Government,
therefore, intend to create 10 Regional Water Authorities including
one for Wales which will be able to deal with water services as a
whole, literally from the source to the tap.
The Regional Water Authorities' functions will include the
prevention and control of polluting discharges to rivers and
estuaries; treatment of water for public use; and dealing with
sewage. At the same time they will have a duty to ensure the
full development for amenity and recreation of our rivers, canals
and wherever appropriate, reservoirs.
The Government aim to bring new structure into operation
on the 1st April 1974, at the same time as the new local
authorities outside Greater London.
These new Regional Water Authorities will replace the
25 existing river authorities and Water Boards and will perform
their water conservation, water quality control, water supply,
navigation and recreational functions, and will take over the
water supply and sewage disposal functions at present performed
by numerous local Authorities. They will be responsible for
controlling the admission of trade effluent to public sewers, but
local authorities will be left with their local sewerage functions,
i.e. conveyance of sewage into the main sewers. The Government
intend that statutory water companies (of which the Essex Water
Company is one) should continue in existence, operating as
agents of the Regional Water Authority.
The British Waterways Board, which administers almost
2,000 miles of canals and river navigations, is to be wound up,
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