The Scottish Government

Reservoirs Act 1975

The Reservoirs Act 1975 (UK) is "an Act to make further provision against escapes of water from large reservoirs or from lakes or lochs artificially created or enlarged."

The Act deals with reservoir safety which is a devolved matter for Scottish Ministers.

The Act requires local authorities, as the enforcement authority in Scotland to:

• maintain a register of large raised reservoirs
• enforce the provisions of the Act, ultimately prosecuting non-compliant undertakers
• report to the Scottish Ministers biennially

Within their biennial reports local authorities as the enforcement authority must:

• describe what steps they have taken as enforcement authority to ensure compliance with the Act,
• where they themselves are the undertakers for a reservoir, describe what steps they have taken that capacity.

The Act also places requirements on the Undertakers of large raised reservoirs to ensure that:

• Each reservoir is supervised at all times by a qualified panel engineer - the "panel" of specialist civil engineers are appointed by the Secretary of State and are experienced and qualified in reservoir safety,
• Each reservoir is the subject of a periodic inspection and report by a qualified panel engineer, the Inspecting Engineer,
• Any measures in the interests of safety are carried out as soon as practicable.

The biennial reports from the enforcement authorities are made to the Scottish Ministers.

They were last submitted in 2007.