Water restrictions expanded to distillery areas as rivers reach critical levels

Restrictions on water use have been expanded including to areas with distilleries after prolonged dry weather which has left rivers at critical levels.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said the Lower Spey and Berwickshire catchment areas have reached Significant Scarcity, the highest level of water scarcity, bringing the total in this category to eight.

Sepa said that while heavy rain did fall in some parts of Scotland over the weekend, it did not reach the areas where it was most needed.

It has now imposed restrictions on the amount of water that can be diverted from the natural environment in the Lower Spey, home to a number of distilleries, and in Berwickshire, where farmers use water for irrigation.

Last week, restrictions on water use were imposed in six other catchment areas: the Upper Don; Lower Don; Lower Tweed; North Fife; Ythan; and Deveron; after they were raised to Significant Scarcity level.

David Harley, head of water and planning for Sepa, said: “With two more areas moving to Significant Scarcity, there are now eight catchments across Scotland at the highest level.

“The science is clear; months of below-average rainfall have left rivers at critically low flows. Restrictions are not optional – they’re essential to safeguard our environment.

“We have been warning about the risk of water scarcity since the spring, and communicating with abstractors for several months now, so it’s not surprising that we’ve had to issue further restrictions.

“We know this is a challenging time, but we’re encouraged by the good levels of compliance we’re seeing on the ground.

“People realise that taking action now is vital to protect Scotland’s rivers and support their recovery when wetter conditions return.”

Sepa said that even in areas where showers at the weekend were heavy, they have not done much to reverse the effect of months of dry conditions.

The organisation said that the restrictions will be lifted as soon as possible, but that they are essential to protect the long-term health of the country’s rivers.