Groundwater regulations - now in force

The Groundwater (England and Wales) Regulations 2009 came into force on 30 October 2009.

Find out how the groundwater regulations affect your business in our water pollution guidance.

What are the groundwater regulations?

The new regulations supplement existing regulations to protect groundwater in England and Wales. The new regulations:

  • control groundwater pollution from historically contaminated land
  • use general binding rules or registration schemes for low risk activities
  • provide a more flexible, risk-based approach
  • cover a wider range of substances.

Who do the new groundwater regulations affect?

The regulations affect you if you hold:

  • a groundwater authorisation
  • an environmental permit or discharge consent that contains conditions about your discharges to groundwater.

Examples of activities affected by the regulations include:

  • landspreading of agricultural wastes
  • depositing mine spoil
  • handling, storing or disposing of substances such as agrochemicals and solvents.

    Further information on the groundwater regulations

    Groundwater (England and Wales) Regulations 2009 SI 2902
    See our water pollution guidance