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Section 163: Discharges for works purposes.

Water Resources Act 1991 · 1991 c. 57View on legislation.gov.uk

Part VII: Land and Works Powers — chapter I: POWERS OF THE APPROPRIATE AGENCY

Subject to the following provisions of this section and to section 164 below, where the appropriate agency—

is carrying out, or is about to carry out, the construction, alteration, repair, cleaning, or examination of any reservoir, well, borehole or other work belonging to or used by the appropriate agency for the purposes of, or in connection with, the carrying out of any of its functions; or
is exercising or about to exercise any power conferred by section 159, 160 or 162(2) or (3) above,

the appropriate agency may cause the water in any relevant pipe or in any such reservoir, well, borehole or other work to be discharged into any available watercourse.

Nothing in this section shall authorise any discharge which—

damages or injuriously affects the works or property of any railway company or navigation authority; or
floods or damages any highway.

If the appropriate agency fails to take all necessary steps to secure that any water discharged by it under this section is as free as may be reasonably practicable from—

mud and silt;
solid, polluting, offensive or injurious substances; and
any substances prejudicial to fish or spawn, or to spawning beds or food of fish,

it shall be guilty of an offence and liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

In this section—

  • "railway company" means the British Railways Board, Transport for London or any subsidiary (within the meaning of the Greater London Authority Act 1999) of Transport for London, or any other person authorised by any enactment, or by any order, rule or regulation made under any enactment, to construct, work or carry on a railway; and

  • "relevant pipe" has the same meaning as in section 159 above.

About this text

This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. These source and reuse terms cover the legislation text, not Remedy's commentary.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.