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.

Background

A Royal Commission, with Lord Bledisloe acting as its chairman, reported on the state of land drainage legislation covering England and Wales on 5 December 1927. It concluded that existing laws were "vague and ill-defined, full of anomalies, obscure, lacking in uniformity, and even chaotic." It recommended the creation of catchment boards with responsibility for main rivers, and formed the basis for the Land Drainage Act 1930, although only 47 of the 100 catchment boards suggested by the commission were enshrined in the legislation.

The River Boards Act 1948 sought to establish river boards throughout the whole of England and Wales, with overall responsibility for land drainage, fisheries and river pollution. Thirty-two river boards inherited the functions of the existing catchment boards, or took over the flood prevention functions on main rivers from local authorities where no catchment board existed. The exceptions were the River Thames Catchment Board and the Lee Conservancy Catchment Board, which continued to exist under the powers of the 1930 Act.

Volta River

The Volta River is a river, primarily flowing in Ghana, that drains into the Atlantic Ocean at the Gulf of Guinea. It has three main tributaries—the Black Volta, White Volta and Red Volta.

Reservoir

Lake Volta is a reservoir impounded by the Akosombo Dam on the lower Volta River in Ghana. It is one of the largest reservoirs in the world. It extends from the Akosombo Dam in southeastern Ghana to the town of Yapei, some 400 kilometres (250 mi) to the north.

The reservoir's dam generates electricity for the Volta River Authority, and the reservoir provides inland water transport routes. It may be a resource for irrigation and fish farming.

The depth of the river is 45 feet (14 m) below Lake Volta. The Volta River is crossed by the Adome Bridge below the Akosombo Dam and the reservoir.

History

The Volta River was named by Portuguese gold traders in Ghana. It was their farthest extent of exploration before returning (volta is Portuguese for "twist" or "turn")."River of return" (perhaps because it was where ships turned around and headed for home) or “river of bend,” in reference to its course.