Improved compliance with the Reservoirs Act 1975 in England

The Environment Agency has been the enforcement authority for the Reservoirs Act 1975 (the Act) for more than 10 years, originally for England and Wales and, since April 2013, for just England. Over that time the Environment Agency has worked hard to encourage greater compliance with the Act and has regularly monitored the level of compliance with its key requirements. In 2015, the overall level of non-compliance was at its lowest since the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 amendments came into force in 2013. In particular, the number of reservoirs with overdue measures to be taken in the interests of safety was at its lowest since the Environment Agency became enforcement authority. The paper examines the role of the enforcement authority in helping to ensure compliance with the Act and trends in the levels of non-compliance over the last decade.