Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland
1997 No. 256
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
WATER AND SEWERAGE
The Protection of Water Against Agricultural Nitrate Pollution (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997
Made
28th May 1997
Coming into operation
28th July 1997
The Department of the Environment and the Department of Agriculture, being departments designated(1) for the purposes of section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972(2) in relation to measures relating to the prevention, reduction and elimination of pollution of water, acting jointly in exercise of the powers conferred on them by that section and of every other power enabling it in that behalf, hereby make the following Regulations:
Citation, commencement and interpretation
1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Protection of Water Against Agricultural Nitrate Pollution (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 and shall come into operation on 28th July 1997.
(2) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(3) shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to a Measure of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Amendment
2. After regulation 7 of the Protection of Water Against Agricultural Nitrate Pollution Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996(4) there shall be inserted the following regulation—
“Transfrontier Consultation
8.—(1) Where any waters identified by the Departments in accordance with regulation 3(1) are affected by pollution from waters from the Republic of Ireland draining directly or indirectly in to them, the Departments shall notify the competent authorities in the Republic of Ireland and the Commission of the relevant facts.
(2) The Departments, in consultation with the competent authorities in the Republic of Ireland shall organise, where appropriate with the Commission, the concertation necessary to identify the sources in question and the measures to be taken to protect the waters that are affected.”
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of the Environment on
L.S.
R. W. Rogers
Assistant Secretary
28th May 1997.
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Agriculture on
L.S.
Liam McKibben
Assistant Secretary
28th May 1997.
Explanatory Note
(This note is not part of the Regulations.)
These Regulations amend the Protection of Water Against Agricultural Nitrate Pollution Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 which require the Department of the Environment and the Department of Agriculture to ensure that measures are taken to reduce and prevent nitrate pollution from agricultural sources. The amendment requires the Departments to consult the competent authorities in the Republic of Ireland where waters in Northern Ireland are affected by pollution from waters in the Republic of Ireland, and to take appropriate remedial action.