The Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 (Commencement No. 1) (Wales) Regulations 2025

Made: 30 July 2025

The Welsh Ministers make the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 17(4)(a) and (c) of the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025[^f00001].

Title and interpretation

1

• (1) The title of these Regulations is the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 (Commencement No. 1) (Wales) Regulations 2025.

• (2) In these Regulations, “the Act” means the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025.

Provisions coming into force on 1 September 2025

2

The following provisions of the Act come into force on 1 September 2025—

• (a) section 3 (pollution incident reduction plans), so far as relating to undertakers whose areas are wholly or mainly in Wales;

• (b) section 5 (nature-based solutions), so far as relating to undertakers whose areas are wholly or mainly in Wales.

Signed

Huw Irranca-Davies — Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, one of the Welsh Ministers — 30 July 2025

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations bring into force certain sections of the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 (“the Act”), in relation to Wales. These are the first commencement regulations made by the Welsh Ministers under the Act.

Regulation 2 brings into force on 1 September 2025 sections 3 and 5 of the Act. Section 3 inserts new sections 205A, 205B and 205C into the Water Industry Act 1991, requiring relevant undertakers to prepare and publish annual pollution incident reduction plans. Section 5 inserts a new section 94A(3)(ea) into the Water Industry Act 1991 requiring sewerage undertakers to explain the use that is to be made of nature-based solutions in their drainage and sewerage management plans.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 2025 c. 5.