The Thames Water Authority was one of ten Regional Water Authorities

Regional Water Authority

The Regional Water Authorities came into existence in England and Wales in 1975 to bring together in ten regional units a diverse range of bodies involved in water treatment and supply, sewage disposal, land drainage, river pollution and fisheries....

 created in the UK in 1975 to bring together all the water management functions of the Region in one public body.

The bodies subsumed included the Metropolitan Water Board

Metropolitan Water Board

The Metropolitan Water Board was founded in 1903 to bring the nine private water companies supplying water to London under a single public body. The members of the board were nominated by the various local authorities within its area of supply. A Royal Commission had reported in 1899 on the need...

, the Thames Conservancy

Thames Conservancy

The Thames Conservancy was a historical body responsible for the management of the River Thames in England. It was founded in 1857, initially replacing the jurisdiction of the City of London up to Staines and later taking responsibility for the whole river from Cricklade in Wiltshire to the sea at...

, the Lee Conservancy Catchment Board and parts of the Essex River Authority and the Kent River Authority which had formerly regulated the north bank and the south bank of the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 estuary

Estuary

An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

.

In 1984 the Thames Water Authority was partly privatised, with the water and sewage responsibilities transferring to the newly established publicly quoted company of Thames Water

Thames Water

Thames Water Utilities Ltd, known as Thames Water, is the private utility company responsible for the public water supply and waste water treatment in large parts of Greater London, the Thames Valley, Surrey, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Kent, and some other areas of in the United Kingdom...

, and the regulatory responsibilities transferring to the newly created National Rivers Authority

National Rivers Authority

The National Rivers Authority was one of the forerunners of the Environment Agency of England and Wales, existing between 1989 and 1996. Before 1989 the regulation of the aquatic environment had largely been carried out by the ten Regional Water Authorities...