Reservoir Safety Reform

Overview

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In Wales, there are around 400 registered reservoirs which are regulated under the Reservoirs Act 1975 - the law which sets the minimum safety standards. We have designated over half of these as “high-risk reservoirs” where we think a failure and any subsequent uncontrolled release of water could pose a risk to life.

Reservoir safety is about ensuring the physical structure of a reservoir, its dams and embankments are safe.

Wales has an excellent reservoir safety record. However, the independent review and report published by Prof. Balmforth following the Toddbrook reservoir incident in 2019 is a reminder that we cannot be complacent. Aging dams, increasing demands on water supplies, and the impacts of a changing climate are all prompts for the need to keep our regulatory approach under review.

Wales’ reservoir safety record has been achieved through the fundamental principles of acting on the advice and recommendations of qualified civil engineers who specialise in reservoir safety, underpinned by compliance with the law.

Introduction

In November 2024, the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs confirmed the Welsh Government’s intention to reform reservoir safety management practices and modernise the Reservoirs Act 1975.

As part of collaboration between Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales (NRW), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Environment Agency (EA), we are developing and delivering a Reservoir Safety Reform Programme, to address the recommendations set out in the Independent Reservoir Safety Review Report. The programme will be delivered over several years and this information page will keep you updated on our plans and progress.

Programme vision and aims

Our vision is to modernise the regulation of reservoir safety in Wales, to reduce the risk to those who live and work in the communities downstream and the natural environment, and to ensure reservoirs are resilient to future impacts of climate change.

We will do this by:

• engaging with stakeholders to shape our approach
• strengthening the roles and responsibilities for owners and operators to manage their reservoirs in line with the risk they pose
• giving engineers the duties and powers commensurate with their responsibility to recommend actions and to be able to escalate intervention where needed
• fostering a culture of continuous improvement and development of skills across the reservoir community
• working with government to modernise the legislation that underpins the standards we set, to allow current and emerging safety practice to ensure a robust and proportionate safety regime that is agile and fit for the future.

The need for reform

The key drivers for improving the reservoir safety system are:

• the need for legislation which aligns better with modern risk management practices and expectations.
• the recommendations arising from Prof. David Balmforth’s independent reservoir safety review
• climate change - which is increasing the pressures on reservoir infrastructure and demand for reservoirs and water resources.
• the increasing demand for specialist reservoir engineers in the future, and to address the declining numbers of these engineers.

Devolved administrations

Reservoir safety policy is devolved. Our reform programme is focused on Wales, but we are working closely with the UK Government and other devolved administrations and regulators to share knowledge and support a coherent approach across the UK.

You can visit the Environment Agency's Reservoir Safety Reform information page here. 

The focus of reform

The responsibility for the safety of reservoirs falls to three distinct target communities:

1. Reservoir owners and operators are ultimately responsible for the safety of their reservoirs. They must appoint specialist civil engineers to construct, inspect and supervise their reservoirs and to act on the engineer’s recommendations. Owners and operators should manage their reservoir safely using trained and competent staff as is necessary.
2. Qualified civil engineers/ “panel engineers” are appointed to specialist panels by Government to ensure owners have access to a competent engineer to supervise and inspect reservoir construction and operation.
3. Enforcement authorities – in Wales, NRW regulates and enforces reservoir safety.

The reform programme will not change this overall three-way approach, but we anticipate there will be changes for each of these communities.

Programme of reforms

Our reform programme in Wales will:

• report updates through these pages at regular intervals.
• establish the reservoir safety practices that are to be underpinned by law and those where guidance may be considered sufficient.
• implement change through stakeholder engagement, consultation, provision of guidance and new legislation to suit timescales appropriate to the Senedd.