The National Rivers Authority (NRA) 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 (RWAs).

They took the water supply, sewerage and sewage disposal activities into the privatised companies.

[1][2] The assets and the staff of the RWAs were divided up at privatisation between the new water companies and the NRA.

In circumstances where reservoirs had been built to control river flow and thus independently support drinking water abstractions, this could entail the NRA paying out more to have the water released than it had charged for its abstraction.