Water Resources Act 1963

15 Hydrometric schemes

(1) Not later than the end of the period of one year beginning with the second appointed day, or of such extended period as the Water Resources Board may in any particular case allow, each river authority shall prepare and submit to the Board a scheme (in this Act referred to as a " hydrometric scheme ") for obtaining and recording such measurements and other particulars of—

(a) rainfall in the area of the authority,

(b) the evaporation of water in that area,

(c) the flow, level or volume of inland waters in that area, other than inland waters falling within section 2 (3) of this Act, and

(d) other matters appearing to the authority to affect, or to be likely to affect, water resources in their area, as the river authority may consider necessary or expedient for the performance of any of their functions, or as may be required for complying with any directions of the Water Resources Board.

(2) A hydrometric scheme prepared by a river authority shall include provision as to the works required to be constructed or altered, and apparatus required to be installed or modified, for the purposes of the scheme, and provision as to the way in which any such works and apparatus are to be maintained and used.

(3) In so far as it appears to the Water Resources Board that hydrometric schemes are needed for any such purposes as are mentioned in section 4 of this Act, the Board may give directions, ether to river authorities generally or to any particular river authority, as to the measurements or particulars relating to—

(a) any of the matters specified in paragraphs (a) to (c) of subsection (1) of this section, or

(b) any other matters appearing to the Board to affect, or to be likely to affect, water resources in the river authority areas or area in question,

for which provision is to be made in a hydrometric scheme, as to the form of any hydrometric scheme, and as to the period within which the action provided for by such a scheme is to be carried out.

(4) Where a river authority have submitted a hydrometric scheme to the Water Resources Board, and the Board approve the scheme, with or without modifications, it shall be the duty of the river authority to take all such steps as are reasonably practicable for carrying out the scheme as approved by the Board:

Provided that the Board shall not approve a scheme with modifications except after consultation with the river authority concerned.

(5) At any time when required to do so by the Water Resources Board, and, subject to any such requirement, at intervals of not more than seven years, each river authority shall review the provisions of the hydrometric scheme submitted by the authority and approved (with or without modifications) by the Board under this section, and shall submit to the Board such proposals for alterations or additions to the scheme as the authority may consider necessary or expedient in consequence of the review.

(6) Where any such proposals have been submitted to the Board, the Board, after consultation with the river authority concerned, may amend the scheme to such extent as they consider appropriate having regard to those proposals and to any other material considerations; and it shall be the duty of the river authority to take all such steps as are reasonably practicable for carrying out the scheme as amended by the Board under this subsection.

(7) Subsections (2) and (3) of this section shall apply (with the necessary modifications) in relation to any proposals for alterations or additions to a hydrometric scheme as they apply in relation to the preparation of such a scheme.

(8) In the following provisions of this Act, any reference to a hydrometric scheme is a reference to such a scheme in the form in which (whether as originally approved by the Board or as subsequently amended) that scheme is for the time being in force.