The Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999

Regulations as to prevention of pollution

14.—(1) The Department may by regulations make such provision as appears to it expedient—

(a) for prohibiting or restricting the washing or cleansing in waterways of things of any class or description, or the putting into waterways of litter or other objectionable matter, whether poisonous, noxious or polluting or not;

(b) for prohibiting or restricting the keeping or use on waterways of vessels provided with sanitary appliances from which polluting matter passes or can pass into the waterway;

(c) for prohibiting a person from having custody or control of any poisonous, noxious or polluting matter unless prescribed works and prescribed precautions and other steps have been carried out or taken for the purpose of preventing or controlling the entry of the matter into any waterway or water contained in any underground strata;

(d) for requiring a person who already has custody or control of, or makes use of, any such matter to carry out such works for that purpose and to take such precautions and other steps for that purpose as may be prescribed.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the power conferred by paragraph (1), regulations under that paragraph may—

(a) make provision for the Department—

(i) to determine for the purposes of the regulations the circumstances in which a person is required to carry out works or to take any precautions or other steps; and

(ii) by notice to that person, to impose the requirement and to specify or describe the works, precautions or other steps which that person is required to carry out or take;

(b) provide for appeals to the Appeals Commission against notices served by the Department in pursuance of provision made by virtue of sub-paragraph (a); and

(c) provide that a contravention of the regulations shall be an offence the maximum penalties for which shall not exceed the penalties specified in Article 9(4).