The Act – Section by Section Part 1 – Reservoirs Chapter 5 – Construction Or Alteration of Controlled Reservoirs Section 37 – Preliminary certificates
56.This section requires the construction engineer to issue a preliminary certificate when he or she considers that the reservoir that is subject to relevant works may be safely wholly or partially filled with water or (in the case of a reservoir that already contains water) that the level of water should be reduced. A preliminary certificate must specify a level that the water in the reservoir must not exceed, require the reservoir manager to ensure that the level of water remains below that level, and specify any other requirements the engineer considers appropriate about the manner in which the water level may be increased or decreased. The reservoir manager of a controlled reservoir must (by virtue of section 40) comply with the requirements of any preliminary or final certificate for the time being applicable to the reservoir.
57.Subsection (3) requires the construction engineer to give a copy of the preliminary certificate to SEPA within 28 days of issuing it. Subsection (4) sets out that the most recent preliminary certificate issued supersedes any previous preliminary certificates applicable to the reservoir in respect of those works. Subsection (5) sets out that a final certificate applicable to the reservoir supersedes any preliminary certificates in respect of those works.