Water scarcity continues to put pressure on Scotland’s rivers and the businesses which rely on them, as hot and dry conditions return following recent rainfall.
The latest Water Situation Report from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) shows river flows remain very low across much of the country, with some catchments which had recovered now returning to very low levels.
The River Teviot and Ettrick Water have now experienced 39 consecutive days of very low flows. Restrictions on water abstraction remain in place in these catchments and will continue until river flows have recovered sufficiently.
Lower Dee and Water of Feugh have also moved to Significant Scarcity. There are no impacted abstraction licence holders in this area.
Without sustained rainfall, the Dee in Galloway and Urr Water could reach Significant Scarcity within the next week.
Other catchments which previously reached Significant Scarcity and recovered following rainfall are now experiencing very low river flows again, demonstrating the continuing pressure on Scotland’s water environment after months of dry conditions.
SEPA officers have been carrying out visits in catchments where abstraction restrictions are in place and have seen good levels of compliance. Abstractors affected by restrictions are required to comply with the conditions set out by SEPA to protect the water environment.
Shona McConnell, SEPA’s Head of Compliance, said: “This has been a challenging summer for businesses which rely on water from the environment, and we recognise the impact restrictions can have on them.
“Our officers have seen good compliance with the restrictions currently in place. These are regulatory requirements designed to protect rivers when they are under significant pressure, and it is important that businesses continue to comply.
“Recent rainfall has helped in some places, but we’ve also seen rivers return to very low levels. That underlines why we can’t look at individual periods of rainfall in isolation, recovery depends on sustained rainfall over time.
“As our climate changes, rainfall is becoming less predictable and water may not always be available where and when it is needed. Building resilience means planning for that uncertainty, adapting how we use water and taking action early rather than waiting until water availability becomes a problem.
“We’ll continue to monitor conditions closely, work with abstractors and take action where necessary to protect Scotland’s water environment.”
