In the 1920s there was a realisation that the current legislation concerning land drainage was somewhat chaotic, being largely based on the Statute of Sewers passed by King Henry VIII in 1531, with some subsequent amendments.

[1] Accordingly, a royal commission was convened on 26 March 1927, with Lord Bledisloe acting as its chairman, which produced a final report towards the end of the year on 5 December.

They attempted to collect what data there was, and three annual reports were produced before the onset of the Second World War, but it was clear that gauging of rivers was in need of improvement, and its coverage was sporadic.

[5] In 1942, the Institution of Civil Engineers produced a report, discussing the development of a post-war water resources survey, and the Ministry of Health's Central Advisory Committee proposed a network of river boards, who would be responsible for systematic river gauging, as well as land drainage, fisheries and pollution.

[7] In addition to their land drainage responsibilities, the remit of the new boards included fisheries, the prevention of pollution, and gauging of rivers.

[9] Robin Turton, MP for Thirsk and Malton, asked the Minister of Agriculture whether the consultation period could be extended in some cases, as there were 60 drainage authorities operating in the Yorkshire Ouse River Board area, and getting a consensus was proving to be time-consuming.

The importance of maintaining rivers for fish was first recognised with the passing of the Salmon Fishery Act 1861, which dealt with issues such as obstructions in the river, the use of fixed engines, illegal fishing, close seasons, the effects of pollution, and the establishment of a central authority, which at the time was the Home Office.

7. c. 15), various provisions of the royal commission of 1900 were implemented, including the establishment of fishery boards to address issues of pollution and water abstraction.