---
title: "Water Act 1981"
id: 83b83808-f2a4-4ab6-9bf8-4c5866283d34
authority: uk
place: "United Kingdom"
applies_also_from: []
kind: statute
in_force: true
publisher_url: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/12
attribution: "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
solon_url: https://solon.orangecat.ch/law/83b83808-f2a4-4ab6-9bf8-4c5866283d34
language: en
in_force_from: 1991-02-01
date_basis: publisher
status: consolidated
source_url: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/12/data.xml
read_on: 2026-11-08
sha256: fc96e90d9ad009093fcc8d3ac84a797c5e5e9a2d6dad046b0d25f961edc85a1c
provisions: 6
---

# Water Act 1981

## Title and introductory text {#prelims}

Water Act 1981
1981 c. 12
An Act to provide for increasing the borrowing powers of the British Waterways Board and to make further provision relating to water supply.
[15th April 1981]

## 1 Increased borrowing powers of British Waterways Board. {#section-1}

(1) For paragraph (iv) of subsection (3) of section 19 of the Transport Act 1962 there shall be substituted the following paragraph—
(iv) for the British Waterways Board £25 million or such greater sum not exceeding £35 million as the Secretary of State may by order made by statutory instrument specify.
(2) After the said subsection (3) there shall be inserted the following subsection—
(3A) An order made under paragraph (iv) of subsection (3) above shall be made by statutory instrument, and no such order shall be made unless a draft of the order has been approved by resolution of the House of Commons.
(3) Section 3 of the Transport (Financial Provisions) Act 1977 is hereby repealed.

## 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-24.}



## 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-5}



## 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-6}



## 7 Short title and extent. {#section-7}

(1) This Act may be cited as the Water Act 1981.
(2) Section 1 of this Act extends to Scotland and Northern Ireland but otherwise this Act extends to England and Wales only.