Water Act 1989

Section 9 of the 1976 Act

4 (1) Section 9 of the 1976 Act (main river maps) shall be amended as follows.

(2) In subsection (1), for the words “of a water authority area relating to the water authority’s land drainage functions” there shall be substituted the words “relating to the area of a regional flood defence committee”.

(3) In subsection (3), for the words “the main river map of the authority’s area” there shall be substituted the words “a main river map”.

(4) For subsection (5) there shall be substituted the following subsection—

“(5) Where—

(a) the area of a regional flood defence committee is altered so as to affect any of the particulars shown on the main river map for that area, or

(b) the Minister confirms a scheme under section 50 below, or

(c) the National Rivers Authority applies to the Minister for the variation of a main river map, so far as it shows the extent to which any watercourse is to be treated as a main river or part of a main river,

the Minister shall take such action as he considers appropriate either—

(i) by requiring the National Rivers Authority to send him any part of the main river map in question, altering it and sending it back to the National Rivers Authority; or

(ii) by preparing a new main river map and sending it to the National Rivers Authority, or

(iii) by notifying the National Rivers Authority that he does not intend to vary the main river map in question.”

(5) For subsections (7) and (8) there shall be substituted the following subsections—

“(7) The National Rivers Authority shall, subject to subsection (5) above, keep the main river map for the area of a regional flood defence committee at the principal office of the National Rivers Authority for that area, and shall provide reasonable facilities for inspecting that map and taking copies of and extracts from it.

(8) Any local authority whose area is wholly or partly within the area of a regional flood defence committee shall, on application to the National Rivers Authority, be entitled to be furnished with copies of the main river map for the area of that committee on payment of such sum as the authority and the National Rivers Authority may agree.”