Land drainage in England and Wales : report.

  • Great Britain. Central Advisory Water Committee. Land Drainage Legislation Sub-Committee.
Date:
1951
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Land drainage in England and Wales : report. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    EXPRESSIONS USED IN THE REPORT Award is a scheme, made many years ago under an old general Inclosure Act or local Act, conferring powers and duties, in relation to small local drainage prohlems, on persons, bodies of persons or parishes. Hence Parish Award, Inclosure Award. Award Authority is an authority appointed to administer the award—sometimes private persons, the parish council, etc. Drainage Authority is a wide term applying to any authority or body of persons exercising statutory land drainage powers. It includes drainage boards, q.v., and also county councils, award authorities and other authorities exercising powers under private local enactments. Drainage Board is a particular type of drainage authority set up specifically for land drainage purposes. It is a general term limited in its application to catchment boards, river boards, internal drainage boards and external drainage boards. (i) Catchment boards are statutory authorities set up under the Land Drainage Act, 1930, each exercising jurisdiction over an area whose drainage is directed to a particular river or group of rivers (catchment area). Fifty-three catchment boards have been established in England and Wales (see Appendix III). They have no power to levy rates, but they may issue precepts to the councils of counties and county boroughs and to the internal drainage boards within their areas. Catchment boards are now being superseded by river boards. River boards are statutory authorities constituted under the River Boards Act, 1948, each exercising jurisdiction over the whole watershed area of a river system or group of river systems together with certain adjoining areas (river board area). River boards are now being set up for the whole of England and Wales ; as they are established, they assume the powers and functions of the catchment boards which they supersede, as well as the functions of fishery boards and the functions of local authorities in regard to the prevention of pollution. The process of their establishment will soon be completed. (iii) Internal drainage boards exercise jurisdiction over internal drainage districts : that is, defined areas of land such as ‘“‘ will derive benefit or avoid danger as a result of drainage operations” and /ying within the catchment or river board area. Internal drainage boards have power to levy drainage rates on owners and occupiers of property within their districts. (iv) External drainage boards exercise jurisdiction over external drainage districts : that is, areas of land defined on the same principle as internal drainage districts (see above) but lying outside a catchment area or river board area. These-drainage boards also have the power to levy drainage rates within their districts. When river boards have been set up for the whole of England and Wales there will be no drainage boards and drainage districts in this category ; they will have become drainage boards and districts under category (iii) above. The proposals in the report are intended to apply when this stage is reached. (ii ——