Reservoir safety in England and Wales: implementation of amendments to the Reservoirs Act 1975

We intend to make changes in 2 phases.

Phase 1

Changes will come into force for existing large raised reservoirs only. These are reservoirs that can hold over 25, 000 cubic metres of water above the natural level of the surrounding land. 

Phase 2

Changes will come into force for smaller reservoirs under the new threshold figure in the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. These can hold over 10, 000 cubic metres of water above the natural level of the surrounding land or any different volume of water specified by the minister.

We would like your comments on these proposals. All responses including those which propose an alternative to the preferred option will be considered.