Cookies on Legislation.gov.uk

The cookies on legislation.gov.uk do two things: they remember any settings you've chosen so you don't have to choose them on every page, and they help us understand how people browse our website, so we can make improvements and fix problems. We need your consent to use some of these cookies.

Search Legislation

Advanced Search

The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017

Help about what version

What Version

Help about opening options

Opening OptionsExpand opening options

Close

Print Options

Changes to legislation:

There are outstanding changes not yet made by the legislation.gov.uk editorial team to The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017. Those changes will be listed when you open the content using the Table of Contents below. Any changes that have already been made by the team appear in the content and are referenced with annotations. Help about Changes to Legislation

View outstanding changesstatus warnings

  1. Introductory Text

  2. Expand +/Collapse -

    PART 1 Introduction

    1. 1.Citation, commencement, extent and application

    2. 2.Interpretation

    3. 3.Duties on ministers and regulators

  3. Expand +/Collapse -

    PART 2 River basin districts and water bodies

    1. 4.Map of river basin districts

    2. 5.Characterisation of river basin districts

    3. 6.Classification of water bodies

    4. 7.Economic analysis of water use in river basin districts

  4. Expand +/Collapse -

    PART 3 Protected areas

    1. 8.Bodies of water used for the abstraction of drinking water

    2. 9.Designation of shellfish waters

    3. 10.Register of protected areas

  5. Expand +/Collapse -

    PART 4 Monitoring

    1. 11.Monitoring programmes

  6. Expand +/Collapse -

    PART 5 Environmental objectives and programmes of measures

    1. 12.Procedure for setting environmental objectives and programmes of measures

    2. 13.The environmental objectives

    3. 14.Environmental objectives: application of regulations 15 to 19

    4. 15.Artificial or heavily modified water bodies

    5. 16.Extended deadlines for environmental objectives

    6. 17.Setting less stringent environmental objectives

    7. 18.Natural causes or force majeure

    8. 19.Modifications to physical characteristics of water bodies

    9. 20.Content of programmes of measures

    10. 21.Charges for water services

    11. 22.Further programmes of measures in relation to certain priority substances

    12. 23.Action in relation to plant protection and biocidal products

    13. 24.Implementation of programmes of measures

    14. 25.Action where environmental objectives are unlikely to be achieved

  7. Expand +/Collapse -

    PART 6 River basin management plans

    1. 26.Application of this Part

    2. 27.River basin management plans: content

    3. 28.Review of river basin management plans

    4. 29.River basin management plans: public participation

    5. 30.River basin management plans: submission for approval

    6. 31.River basin management plans: approval

    7. 32.Supplementary plans

    8. 33.River basin management plans: duties on public bodies

  8. Expand +/Collapse -

    PART 7 General

    1. 34.Publication of information

    2. 35.Provision of information and assistance

    3. 36.Directions

    4. 37.Revocation

    5. 38.Transitional provision

    6. 39.Consequential amendments

  9. Signature

    1. Expand +/Collapse -

      SCHEDULE 1

      Directive definitions

      1. 1.(1) In the definitions in paragraph (2) (which derive from...

    2. Expand +/Collapse -

      SCHEDULE 2

      Enactments in relation to which duties in regulation 3 apply

      1. Expand +/Collapse -

        PART 1 Statutes

        1. 1.Section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 .

        2. 2.The Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 .

        3. 3.Parts 2 and 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990...

        4. 4.Part 4 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (sewerage services)...

        5. 5.Parts 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 of the...

        6. 6.The Land Drainage Act 1991 .

        7. 7.The Environment Act 1995 .

        8. 8.Sections 3, 4, 10, 81 and 83 of the Water...

        9. 9.Part 4 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009...

        10. 10.The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 .

        11. 11.Section 61 of the Water Act 2014 (regulation of the...

      2. Expand +/Collapse -

        PART 2 Subordinate instruments

        1. 12.The Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989 .

        2. 13.The Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) Regulations 1994...

        3. 14.The Water Protection Zone (River Dee Catchment) (Procedural and Other...

        4. 15.The Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001 ....

        5. 16.The Water Resources (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations...

        6. 17.The Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations...

        7. 18.The Environmental Damage (Prevention and Remediation) (Wales) Regulations 2009 ....

        8. 19.The Eels (England and Wales) Regulations 2009 .

        9. 20.The Water Resources (Control of Pollution) (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural...

        10. 21.The Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations 2021....

        11. 22.The Natural Resources Body for Wales (Establishment) Order 2012 ....

        12. 23.The Bathing Water Regulations 2013 .

        13. 24.The Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations 2021....

        14. 25.The Keeping and Introduction of Fish (Wales) Regulations 2014 ....

        15. 26.The Keeping and Introduction of Fish (England and River Esk...

        16. 27.The Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 2015 .

        17. 28.The Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2015 .

        18. 29.The Environmental Damage (Prevention and Remediation) (England) Regulations 2015 ....

        19. 30.The Water Environment (Control of Pollution) (Oil Storage) (Wales) Regulations...

        20. 31.The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 .

    3. Expand +/Collapse -

      SCHEDULE 3

      EU instruments for the protection of water

      1. 1.Council Directive 91/271/EEC concerning urban waste-water treatment .

      2. 2.Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution...

      3. 3.Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and...

      4. 4.Council Directive 98/83/EC on the quality of water intended for...

      5. 5.Directive 2006/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council...

      6. 6.Directive 2006/118/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council...

      7. 7.Directive 2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council...

      8. 8.Directive 2009/147/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council...

      9. 9.Directive 2010/75/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council...

      10. 10.Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council...

      11. 11.Directive 2012/18/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council...

    4. Expand +/Collapse -

      SCHEDULE 4

      Consequential amendments

      1. 1.The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (Northumbria River Basin District) Regulations 2003

      2. 2.The Flood Risk Regulations 2009

      3. 3.The Marine Strategy Regulations 2010

      4. 4.The Bathing Water Regulations 2013

      5. 5.The London Underground (Northern Line Extension) Order 2014

    5. Expand +/Collapse -

      SCHEDULE 5

      Modification of directives

      1. Expand +/Collapse -

        PART 1 Modifications of the Water Framework Directive

        1. 1.A reference to the WFD, or to any provision of...

        2. 2.When interpreting the WFD for the purposes of these Regulations—...

        3. 3.Article 2(24) is to be read as if, for the...

        4. 4.Article 4 is to be read as if—

        5. 5.Article 7(2) is to be read as if—

        6. 6.Article 10 is to be ignored.

        7. 7.Article 11(3) is to be read as if—

        8. 8.Article 12 is to be ignored.

        9. 9.Article 15 is to be ignored.

        10. 10.Article 24 is to be ignored.

        11. 11.Annex 1 is to be ignored.

        12. 12.Annex 2 is to be read as if—

        13. 13.Annex 4 is to be read as if—

        14. 14.Annex 5 is to be read as if—

        15. 15.Annex 6 is to be read as if Part A...

        16. 16.Annex 7 is to be read as if, in Part...

      2. Expand +/Collapse -

        PART 2 Modifications of the Groundwater Directive

        1. 17.A reference to the GWD, or to any provision of...

        2. 18.When interpreting the GWD for the purposes of these Regulations—...

        3. 19.Article 3 is to be read as if—

        4. 20.Article 5 is to be read as if, in each...

        5. 21.Article 6(4) is to be read as if the words...

        6. 22.Article 12 is to be ignored.

        7. 23.Annex 1 is to be read as if—

        8. 24.Annex 2 is to be read as if, in Part...

      3. Expand +/Collapse -

        PART 3 Modifications of the Environmental Quality Standards Directive

        1. 25.A reference to the EQSD, or to any provision of...

        2. 26.When interpreting the EQSD for the purposes of these Regulations—...

        3. 27.Article 3 is to be read as if—

        4. 28.Article 4 is to be read as if—

        5. 29.Article 5 is to be read as if—

        6. 30.The following Articles are to be ignored—

  11. Explanatory Note

Back to top

Options/Help

The data on this page is available in the alternative data formats listed: