释义 |
abstraction of water The taking or impounding of water from a river or other source of supply. It normally requires a licence from the Environment Agency but there are exceptions; primarily, when less than 20 cubic metres of water per day are taken, when the water is for domestic or agricultural use (excluding spray irrigation), or when it is removed in the course of fire-fighting or land drainage. Further restrictions come into force when river or groundwater levels are low. The legislative framework for water abstraction is contained primarily in the Water Resources Act 1991 as amended by the Water Act 2003. Reforms to the system of abstraction licensing were made in the Environment Act 2021. |