Above-average rainfall needed for water levels to recover from dry spell, says SEPA

A sustained period of “well above average rainfall” is needed if Scotland is to recover from its driest start to the year since 1964, experts warn.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said some parts of Fife have seen “no measurable rainfall” for more than a month, and the ongoing dry spell has seen many of Scotland’s rivers fall to “record lows”.

The lack of rain has now seen six more Scottish river catchments, including the Tay, Spey and Annan, being moved to “moderate scarcity” status, bringing the total number to 17.

The areas affected cover the east coast of Aberdeenshire, down to the Scottish Borders, and across the south of the country to Dumfries and Galloway.

SEPA said moderate scarcity means there is a “clear” environmental impact from the lack of water, and “action is expected from abstractors (such as agriculture and industry) to protect rivers and the species that rely on them”.

Eilidh Johnston, SEPA’s senior manager in water industry and rural economy, warned the agency may have to take “measures” to restrict water use if the dry weather continues.

“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.

“It has been the driest start to a year in Scotland since 1964. Fife has had no significant rain for over a month and groundwater levels are some of the lowest on record for the time of year. So, we’re seeing some quite significant issues coming.

“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 over the coming days the agency has also warned of environmental risks from the first heavy rainfall following a dry spell, due to the water washing pollutants from roads and land into rivers.

The agency explained this can create a “short-term shock” to ecosystems, which it said is a “known risk” for fish deaths.

It appealed to anyone concerned about a “fish kill” to report it to Sepa as soon as possible so they can ensure there is no ongoing pollution incident.

Scottish Water earlier issued a statement thanking Scots for saving 60 million litres of water a day, which it said was helping the company “protect resources and maintain normal supplies across the country”.

Kes Juskowiak, a Scottish Water 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.

“The system remains under significant pressure and so we’d like to encourage everyone to continue to use Scotland’s water as efficiently as possible.”