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  • Our impact

30 years of impact

As we mark 30 years of SEPA, here are just some of our highlights. You can learn more about how we monitor progress in our performance reports.

Preparing communities

We operate 72 river and 8 coastal flood warning schemes covering 326 areas. This gives communities the time they need to prepare for severe weather, protecting homes, infrastructure and livelihoods.

Improving air quality

We’ve helped improve Scotland’s air quality. Our Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory 2024 statistics show emissions from Scotland's largest industrial facilities were 23.5% lower in 2024 than in 2019. Compared with 2023, emissions fell by 3.85%, equivalent to taking around 210,000 petrol cars off the road for a year. 

Restoring rivers

Through our Water Environment Fund, we’ve opened up 492.84 km of rivers to migratory fish. WEF has restored 9.9 km of river channels and habitats, as well as improving access to natural spaces.

Protecting our freshwaters

67.9% of our water bodies are now in good or better overall condition. This reflects continued progress in improving our freshwater and marine environments, delivered through targeted restoration efforts, strengthened regulation, and ongoing work to reduce pollution and protect habitats.

Managing authorisations

Across industrial activities, waste and water regimes, we’ve managed approximately 220,000 authorisations. This ensures that activities that impact our environment are robustly regulated.

Tackling environmental crime

Between 2016 and March 2026, we published details of 173 Fixed Monetary Penalties totalling £90,700.

There were 15 Variable Monetary Penalties published, totalling £70,438.86.

Reducing waste

Since 2011, we’ve helped reduce the waste generated by households and businesses by 20.2%. This supports Scotland’s shift toward a more circular, less waste‑intensive economy.

Improving our bathing waters

97% of Scotland’s designated bathing waters now meet the required standards, with 82% of sites now achieving a ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’ classification for the 2026 bathing waters season.

Protecting our water resources

In September 2025 we placed 17 areas at Significant Water Scarcity at the same time. This was the highest number we’ve issued since the current version of the National Water Scarcity Plan.

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More about our 30th anniversary