The Water Abstraction and Impoundment (Licensing) Regulations (Northern Ireland) SR 2006/482, will come into force on 1 February 2007 and aim to provide a regime for the regulation of abstraction of groundwater and water from waterways, as well as for the construction, alteration and operation of impounding works, referred to as "controlled activities." Under the provisions, two levels of authorisation are proposed. The first applies to those controlled activities with a minimal risk to the water environment. These activities are authorised under the Regulations, providing certain conditions are met and are known as "permitted controlled activities". The activities which have a greater risk require a licence, which is issued by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland (DoE NI).
In other water legislation news, the Draft Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 has been published. This is designed to radically improve Northern Ireland's antiquated and failing water and sewerage system, which requires massive investment and restructuring to bring it up to required standards. The Order will transfer responsibility for delivering water and sewerage services from the Water Service to a Government owned company, from 1 April 2007.
It will be run on a commercial basis and subject to utility regulation. A new regulatory regime will be established, which includes a system of controls with regard to supply obligations, drinking water quality standards, trade effluent and sewerage disposal, charges for domestic customers and levels of service. The legislation is a key-step in the long-term plan for water reform in Northern Ireland.
