In Northern Ireland, you must have authorisation from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) to abstract water from:
- surface waters such as rivers, lakes and wetlands
- coastal waters, ie water within three nautical miles of land
- transitional water, such as estuaries and water in the vicinity of river mouths
- underground strata such as wells, boreholes and springs.
You also need authorisation from the NIEA if you own, operate, maintain or plan an impoundment (such as a reservoir) which creates a difference in height of more than one metre between upstream and downstream water surfaces.
Abstraction authorisations
If you abstract less than 10m³ per day with minimal risk to the environment this is called a permitted controlled activity (PCA).
You do not need to contact the NIEA, but you must:
- be able to demonstrate the volume of water you abstract
- minimise water leaks
- prevent any contamination or pollution.
If you abstract between 10m³ and 20m³ of water per day you must notify the NIEA and you must comply with the PCA conditions.
If you abstract more than 20m³ you need an abstraction licence from the NIEA. You will need:
- a simple licence if you abstract between 20m³ and 100m³ of water per day
- a complex licence if you abstract more than 100m³ of water per day.
Both licence types may be subject to conditions, such as the maximum rate at which you can abstract water and the maximum volume you can take in any day.
Impoundment authorisations
You can impound water without contacting the NIEA as long as your impoundment:
- does not control the water level upstream
- is not associated with an abstraction of water
- does not create a difference in height of more than one metre between the upstream and downstream water surfaces.
You will need an impoundment licence from the NIEA to impound water in all other circumstances.
The NIEA can review, modify or remove a licence if the licence holder requests it, or to prevent significant or serious damage to the environment.
You may also need to submit an environmental statement to the NIEA before starting projects that use more than 200m³ of water per day, for example agricultural spray irrigation.
NIEA: Abstraction and impoundment licensing
NIEA: Guidance for operators of abstractions and impoundments (Adobe PDF - 305KB)
NIEA: Water use ready reckoners
NIEA: Application to register for water abstraction
NIEA: Contact details
In this guideline:
Abstracting and impounding water in England and Wales
Abstracting and impounding water in Northern Ireland
Abstracting and impounding water in Scotland
Why should you save water?
How to save water
Water use and efficiency further information
Water use and efficiency legislation
