The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has warned that “well above average rainfall” will be needed over a sustained period to reverse the impacts of Scotland’s driest start to the year since 1964.
Seventeen river catchments across the country – including the Tay, Spey and Annan – are now classified under “moderate scarcity” status, with the east coast of Aberdeenshire, the Scottish Borders and much of the south of Scotland facing growing water shortages.
Parts of Fife have seen “no measurable rainfall” for over a month, while many rivers have fallen to record low levels for this time of year. Groundwater reserves have also dropped significantly, raising serious environmental concerns.
Eilidh Johnston, SEPA’s senior manager in water industry and rural economy, said action may be taken if the dry spell persists.
“A few days of rain will not undo months of drier than average weather,” she said. “We need well above average rainfall over a sustained period to see any recovery, especially in the east.”
“I’m urging anyone who has a licence from SEPA to take water from the environment to ensure you are doing everything you can to use water efficiently. If the weather continues without significant additional rain, we’ll have to take measures to reduce the amount of water that can be taken from the environment. The steps you take now are very important in delaying that action.”
With rain forecast in the coming days, SEPA also issued a warning about environmental damage from sudden heavy rainfall, which can flush pollutants from roads and fields into rivers. This type of “short-term shock” to ecosystems has previously resulted in fish deaths.
Scottish Water echoed the urgency, reporting that customers had collectively helped save 60 million litres of water a day, but cautioning that pressure on supplies remains severe.
Kes Juskowiak, Scottish Water’s water operations director, said:
“We’d like to say a massive thank-you to everyone who has helped reduce water demand by using what is a precious resource as efficiently as possible. But we need customers to continue their support and to take whatever measures they can to do so.”
As households, farmers and industries across the northeast are urged to limit usage, experts stress that only sustained rainfall will be enough to fully stabilise water levels.
