# The Groundwater (England and Wales) Regulations 2009, Regulation 2: Interpretation


In these Regulations—
“the Agency” means the Environment Agency;
“direct input” in relation to groundwater means the introduction of a pollutant into groundwater without percolation through soil or subsoil;
“groundwater” means all water which is below the surface of the ground in the saturation zone and in direct contact with the ground or subsoil;
“indirect input” in relation to groundwater means the introduction of a pollutant into groundwater after percolation through soil or subsoil;
“permit” means any of the following in so far as they relate to groundwater—
(a) a permit under regulation 13;
(b) a discharge consent within the meaning of section 91(8) of the Water Resources Act 1991;
(c) an environmental permit under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007, except to the extent that it relates to a Part B activity within the meaning of those Regulations;
(d) the registration of mobile radioactive apparatus under section 10 of the Radioactive Substances Act 1993; or
(e) an authorisation for disposal in accordance with section 13 of the Radioactive Substances Act 1993;
“pollutant” means any substance liable to cause pollution;
“pollution” means the direct or indirect introduction, as a result of human activity, of substances or heat into the air, water or land which may be harmful to human health or the quality of aquatic ecosystems or terrestrial ecosystems directly depending on aquatic ecosystems, which result in damage to material property, or which impair or interfere with amenities and other legitimate uses of the environment.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2009/9780111480816/regulation/2 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/draft-groundwater-england-and-wales-regulations-2009/regulation-2
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.