Water Act 2003

69 Grants for drainage works and flood warning systems

(1) Sections 147 to 149 of the WRA (which relate to grants for drainage works and flood warning systems) shall cease to have effect.

(2) For subsection (4) of section 165 of the WRA (general powers to carry out flood defence and drainage works) there is substituted—

“(4) The Agency may by agreement with any person carry out, improve or maintain, at that person’s expense, any drainage works which that person is entitled to carry out, improve or maintain; but for the purposes of this subsection the expense to be borne by that person shall not include such part (if any) of the amount of any grant made under section 47 of the Environment Act 1995 (grants to the new Agencies) as the Agency decides (subject to any terms on which the grant is made) to allocate for the works in question.”

(3) For subsection (4) of section 166 of the WRA (power to carry out works for purpose of providing flood warning system) there is substituted—

“(4) In this section—

• “flood warning system” means any system whereby, for the purpose of providing warning of any danger of flooding, information with respect to—

  (a)

  rainfall, as measured at a particular place within a particular period; or

  (b)

  the level or flow of any inland water, or part of an inland water, at a particular time; or

  (c)

  other matters appearing to the Agency to be relevant for that purpose,

  is obtained and transmitted, whether automatically or otherwise, with or without provision for carrying out calculations based on such information and for transmitting the results of those calculations;

• “inland water” means any of the following in any part of Great Britain, that is to say—

  (a)

  any river, stream or other watercourse, whether natural or artificial and whether tidal or not;

  (b)

  any lake or pond, whether natural or artificial, and any reservoir or dock; and

  (c)

  any channel, creek, bay, estuary or arm of the sea;

• “rainfall” includes any fall of snow, hail or sleet.”

(4) In the definition of “flood defence provisions” in subsection (1) of section 221 of the WRA (general interpretation), in paragraph (a)(ii), the words “147 to 149,” are omitted.