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Reservoirs

Information for owners and undertakers on reservoir safety regulations.

Most reservoirs hold large volumes of water and are above ground level. Safe operation and management of reservoirs to reduce flood risk is extremely important. A dam failure could have major consequences, including loss of life.

We are the enforcement authority for the Reservoirs Act 1975. These pages set out the safety regulations and legal responsibilities for reservoir owners (undertakers).

Consultation on high risk reservoirs in England and Wales

A public consultation will run from the 17 November 2011 on the options we have developed on how we propose to designate reservoirs as 'high risk'.

The consultation will run for 14 weeks.