Resource information
These Regulations complete the implementation of the Groundwater Directive (Council Directive 80/68/EC) for England, Wales and Scotland and they supplement existing water pollution legislation. They require the Environment Agency, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Secretary of State to use their new powers under the Regulations and their existing powers under Part II of the Control of Pollution Act 1974, Part III of the Water Resources Act 1991 and Part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to prevent the direct or indirect discharge of specified substances to groundwater and to control pollution resulting from the direct or indirect discharge specified substances (regs. 3 to 13). Those new powers are conferred by regulations 14 and 18 to 21 which introduce: (a) a new requirement for an authorization for the disposal, etc. of specified; (b) a new procedure for prohibiting or regulating by notice other activities in or on land which pose an indirect threat to groundwater from specified substances. Exceptions from the main controls are made in relation to: (a) discharges to groundwater unsuitable for other uses; (b) water used for geothermal purposes or pumped out of mines, quarries or civil engineering works; and (c) artificial recharges of groundwater for management purposes (reg. 4(5) and 12).
Repealed by: Groundwater (England and Wales) Regulations 2009 (S.I. No. 2902 of 2009). (2009-10-29)
