The Welsh National Water Development Authority (WNWDA) (Awdurdod Canedlaethol Datblygu Dwr Cymru in Welsh

Welsh language

Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...

) and later the Welsh 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....

 set up in the UK and came into existence on 6th August 1973 with its headquarters in Brecon

Brecon

Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...

. by virtue of the Water Act 1973

Water Act 1973

The Water Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reorganised the water, sewage and river management industry in England and Wales...

Remit

It brought together all the sewage disposal, sewerage

Sewerage

Sewerage refers to the infrastructure that conveys sewage. It encompasses receiving drains, manholes, pumping stations, storm overflows, screening chambers, etc. of the sanitary sewer...

 and water supply

Water supply

Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...

 functions previously held by local authorities in Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

. It also subsumed all the functions of the six River authorities

River authority

River Authorities controlled land drainage, fisheries and river pollution in rivers, streams and inland waters in England and Wales between 1965 and 1973.The authorities were created by the Water Resources Act 1963 River Authorities controlled land drainage, fisheries and river pollution in...

 in Wales - the Wye River Authority, the Usk River Authority, the Glamorgan River Authority, the South West Wales River Authority, the Gwynedd River Authority and the Dee and Clwyd River Authority. The boundary of WNWDA was identical to that of the constituent River Authorities and included parts of England in both the River Wye

River Wye

The River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK and for parts of its length forms part of the border between England and Wales. It is important for nature conservation and recreation.-Description:...

 and River Dee catchments. Private water companies such as Chester Water were excluded and continued in operation.

Organisation

At inception, WNWDA was organised in units that broadly reflected the originating business. Thus sewerage and sewage disposal was organised into a number of Sewage Divisions, water supply was similarly formed into a number of Water Divisions and River Divisions exactly matching the roles and boundaries of the previous River Authorities were created.

In 1984 a major re-structuring brought all the functions together in multidisciplinary Divisions. These were the Wye Division based in Newport

Newport

Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...

, Taff Division based in Nelson, Gower Division based in Swansea

Swansea

Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...

, West Wales Division based in Haverfordwest

Haverfordwest

Haverfordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales and serves as the County's principal commercial and administrative centre. Haverfordwest is the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire, with a population of 13,367 in 2001; though its community boundaries make it the second most populous...

, Gwynedd Division based in Bangor

Bangor, Gwynedd

Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...

 and Dee and Clwyd Division based in Mold

Mold, Flintshire

Mold is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, and was also the county town of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996...

. At the time of this re-organisation the name of the authority changed to Welsh Water Authority

Governance

The authority was governed by a board which included representatives from Local Authorities, central government and the major industries in Wales including Agriculture. The chairman appointed by the government of the day was Lord Brecon but he was replaced by T.M. Haydn Rees in 1976. and then by John Elfet Jones in 1982.