ABSTRACT
In this conclusion chapter the institutional arrangements for water management in England and Wales are appraised in terms of the six criteria developed, and then are examined in a somewhat more general way. Ability to apply the range of techniques available in the law is greatly improved by the fact that the River Authorities are given primary responsibility for initiating authorized water management activities. Minimum acceptable flow determinations, water development plans, and charging schemes all represent a type of policy within which subsequent decisions are presumably made. The Water Resources Board may, in fact, become the major source of policy constraints upon River Authorities with regard to many aspects of water management, even though the details by which it may effect its influence are not fully spelled out in the law. The present law in England is notable for the emphasis that is given to providing on a national scope regional integration of water resource actions through the River Authorities.
