Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003

4 Establishment of river basin districts

(1) The Scottish Ministers must by order designate one or more river basin districts for the purposes of this Part.

(2) A river basin district is an area, identified in the order, comprising one or more river basins together with any relevant bodies of groundwater and bodies of coastal water which are to form part of that river basin district in accordance with subsection (3).

(3) A relevant body of groundwater or body of coastal water is to form part of the nearest river basin district or, if it appears to the Scottish Ministers that another river basin district is more appropriate, that district.

(4) An order under subsection (1) (a “designation order”) must identify each river basin district by reference to a map prepared for the purposes of the order and laid before the Scottish Parliament.

(5) The Scottish Ministers must send to SEPA a copy of—

(a) a designation order, and

(b) the map prepared in pursuance of subsection (4).

(6) SEPA must make the copies of the designation order and map available, at all reasonable times, for public inspection free of charge.

(7) In this section “relevant body of groundwater” means a body of groundwater which does not fully follow any particular river basin.