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An ordinary watercourse is one of the two types of
watercourse in statutory language in
England and
Wales. Ordinary watercourses include every
river,
stream
A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...
,
ditch,
drain
Drain may refer to:
Objects and processes
* Drain (plumbing), a fixture that provides an exit-point for waste water or for water that is to be re-circulated on the side of a road
* Drain (surgery), a tube used to remove pus or other fluids from ...
, cut,
dyke
Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to:
General uses
* Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian"
* Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment
* Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice
* Dikes, ...
,
sluice
Sluice ( ) is a word for a channel controlled at its head by a movable gate which is called a sluice gate. A sluice gate is traditionally a wood or metal barrier sliding in grooves that are set in the sides of the waterway and can be considered ...
,
sewer (other than a public sewer) and passage through which water flows and which does not form part of a
main river. An
internal drainage board where relevant, or lead
local authority has permissive powers to carry out
flood defence
Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...
works for ordinary watercourses at their discretion.
Definition
An ordinary watercourse is one of the two types of watercourse as set out by statute in England and Wales. Ordinary watercourses include every river, stream, ditch, drain, cut, dike/dyke, sluice, sewer (other than a public sewer) and passage through which water flows and which does not form part of a
main river. The internal drainage boards or local authorities have permissive power to carry out flood defence works for them at their discretion.
[Explanation of terms on the Environment Agency's website]
Flood risk management
Lead Local Flood Authorities have lead responsibility for
managing the risk of flooding from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses. They have permissive power to carry out flood defence works at their discretion. This implies that a residual responsibility to maintain ordinary watercourses, and to report any issues with them to lead local flood authorities, (county councils or unitary authorities) rests in
tort with
riparian owners, that is owners of land adjoining such watercourses. Such watercourses were historically defined as non-navigable watercourses however their designation has changed to those watercourses not included on a 'main rivers map' and whose bed is not owned by an authority.
[
]
Critical Ordinary Watercourse
Critical Ordinary Watercourses (COWs) are a subdivision of ordinary watercourses, certain anti-flooding responsibility for which was assumed by the Environment Agency
The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...
. They were created following Defra's Flood and Coastal Defence Funding Review published in February 2003. The transfer to EA of approximately 1,800 watercourses has now been completed in three phases (1 November 2004, 1 April 2005, and 1 April 2006). In some cases the EA has assigned their requisite day-to-day operational work to internal drainage boards and local authorities and in many cases the EA reassigned this to one or both types of these organisations, having previously taken on such work before the designation of the COW.Implementing the conclusions of the Flood and Coastal Defence Funding Review Final outturn report, 29 March 2004
DEFRA DEFRA may refer to:
* Deficit Reduction Act of 1984, United States law
* Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, United Kingdom government department
{{Disambiguation ...
See also
*
Main river
*
Riparian water rights
*
Navigation authority
References
{{Reflist
Watercourses
Flood control in the United Kingdom