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How we manage our waterways

Find out how we manage our waterways and read our waterway plans.

We are one of the major navigation authorities in charge of inland rivers, estuaries and harbours in England and Wales. We manage the healthy growth of waterways for leisure, business, local communities and wildlife.

We manage nearly 1000km of Britain's rivers, and we are the Harbour Authority for Rye and the Conservancy Authority for the Dee Estuary.

  • A new era for waterways

    Read about Defra proposals to transfer the public inland waterways of British Waterways and the Environment Agency into a new charity.

  • Anglian waterspace studies

    Three waterspace studies which provide a framework for river-related projects to help long-term regeneration of rivers and their environment.

  • Harbour of Rye Customer Charter 2013-14

    The Harbour of Rye Customer Charter explains our service standards from 1 May 2013 to 31 March 2014. We want all our customers to enjoy using the harbour and we aim to deliver a great service.

  • River Medway Customer Charter 2013-14

    The River Medway Customer Charter describes our service standards from 1 May 2013 to 31 March 2014. We want boaters to enjoy their time on the River Medway, and we aim to provide a great service for all our customers.

  • Managing the River Thames for boaters

    How we manage the River Thames as a navigable waterway.

  • Waterway plans

    Our Waterway Plans define how we are improving our rivers to make them better places for people and wildlife.