Thames Water Authority

The Thames Water Authority was a UK regional water authority created by the Water Act 1973^[1] to consolidate water management in the river Thames catchment area. It was dissolved in 1989 due to the privatisation of the water industry.

Thames Water Authority

Authority overview
Formed	1 April 1974
Preceding agencies	Metropolitan Water Board Numerous smaller water undertakers & river conservancies
Dissolved	1989
Superseding agencies	Thames Water National Rivers Authority

Predecessors

The bodies subsumed by the Thames Water Authority included the Metropolitan Water Board, the Thames Conservancy, the Lee Conservancy Catchment Board and parts of the Essex and Kent River authorities. ^[1] It also took over water and sewage responsibility from the following water suppliers in the Thames catchment:^[2]

• Colne Valley Water Company
• Cotswold Water Board
• Croydon Corporation
• East Surrey Water Company
• Epsom and Ewell Corporation
• Lee Valley Water Company
• Mid Southern Water Company
• Middle Thames Water Board
• Oxfordshire and District Water Board
• Rickmansworth and Uxbridge Valley Water Company
• South West Suburban Water Company
• Sutton District Water Company
• Swindon Corporation
• Thames Valley Water Board
• Watford Corporation
• West Surrey Water Board
• Woking and District Water Company

Dissolution

In 1989 the Thames Water Authority was partly privatised, under the provisions of the Water Act 1989^[3] with the water and sewage responsibilities transferring to the newly established publicly quoted company of Thames Water, and the regulatory, land drainage and navigation responsibilities transferring to the newly created National Rivers Authority which later became the Environment Agency.