Anglian Water Authority Explained

Anglian Water Authority was formed in 1974 by virtue of the Water Act 1973 as one of the regional water authorities. ^[1] It established its headquarters in Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire. The authority boundary was the pre-existing boundaries of the constituent river authorities whose total area made Anglian Water Authority the largest of the ten newly created Authorities. It subsumed the roles and responsibilities of:

• East Suffolk and Norfolk River Authority
• Essex River Authority (except the part of the area of the Essex River Authority which was included in the area of the Thames Water Authority)
• Great Ouse River Authority
• Lincolnshire River Authority
• Welland and Nene River Authority

It also took over sewage treatment and sewerage responsibilities of all the local authorities in the area with the exception of:

• Dunstable
• Gainsborough
• Glanford Brigg
• Houghton Regis
• Thurrock

It also became responsible for the water supply functions previously exercised by the following:

• Ipswich Corporation
• Buckingham Corporation
• Norwich Corporation
• Bedfordshire Water Board
• Bucks Water Board
• Colchester and District Water Board
• East Lincolnshire Water Board
• Ely, Mildenhall and Newmarket Water Board
• Higham Ferrers and Rushden Water Board
• Kesteven Water Board
• Lincoln and District Water Board
• Mid-Northamptonshire Water Board
• Nene and Ouse Water Board
• North East Lincolnshire Water Board
• North Lindsey Water Board
• North West Norfolk Water Board
• Peterborough Corporation Water Works^[2]
• South Lincolnshire Water Board
• South Norfolk Water Board
• West Suffolk Water Board
• Wisbech and District Water Board
• Cambridge Water Company
• East Anglian Water Company
• Tendring Hundred Waterworks Company

Demise

In 1989, the privatisation of the water industry in England and Wales saw the creation of Anglian Water who took over the water treatment and supply and sewerage and sewage disposal functions. All the remaining regulatory functions including flood control, water quality management, pollution control and water resource management were transferred to the newly created National Rivers Authority, which was subsequently subsumed into the new Environment Agency in 1996.

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Anglian Water Authority constitution order 1973. HM Government. 8 February 2020. 1 August 1973.
2. http://www.peterboroughhiddenheritage.org/space4/heritage/Water-Works.html Water works at Elton