Water Resources Act 1963

103 Protection of duty of statutory water undertakers to supply water for domestic and public purposes

(1) In the performance of their functions under subsections (1) and (2) of section 14 of this Act, a river authority shall have particular regard to the duty of any relevant statutory water undertakers to provide supplies of waiter to which this section applies.

(2) This section applies to the following supplies of water, that is to say—

(a) a supply of water for domestic purposes, and

(b) a supply of water for any such purpose as is mentioned in section 32 or section 37 of Schedule 3 to the Water Act 1945 (which relate respectively to supplies for extinguishing fires and to supplies for cleansing sewers, drains and highways and for similar purposes).

(3) In subsection (1) of this section " relevant statutory water undertakers " means any statutory water undertakers Who fulfil any one or more of the following conditions, that is to say—

(a) that any part of the area of the river authority falls within their limits of supply;

(b) that they are the holders of a licence under this Act to abstract water from a source of supply in that area;

(c) that they have made an application to the river authority for such a licence or have given notice to the river authority of their intention to make such an application;

(d) that they receive a supply of water in bulk from any statutory water undertakers who fulfil the condition specified in paragraph (b) or paragraph (c) of this subsection.

(4) In dealing with any application or appeal by statutory water undertakers under Part IV of this Act, and in formulating, proceeding with or considering any proposals for the variation or revocation of a licence under this Act of which statutory water undertakers are the holders, a river authority or the Minister, as the case may be, shall have particular regard to the duty of those undertakers, and of any statutory water undertakers who receive a supply of water in bulk from those undertakers, to provide supplies of water to which this section applies.

(5) In this section "duty " means a duty imposed by or under an enactment, and " a supply of water for domestic purposes ", " supply of water in bulk " and " limits of supply " have the same meanings as in Schedule 3 to the Water Act 1945.