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Further abstraction licence restrictions in place as more of eastern Scotland reaches Significant Scarcity

The Lower Spey (covering River Avon and Lower Spey catchments) and Berwickshire (covering Berwickshire coastal and Whiteadder catchments) reached Significant Scarcity on Monday (1st September). 

Upper Don, Lower Don, North Fife, Deveron, Ythan, and Lower Tweed catchments were raised to Significant last week. 

Letters explaining what abstraction licence restrictions are in place have been issued to all affected licence holders, detailing the action that needs to be taken, and the date these restrictions come into force. 

This week’s report from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) shows that a number of other areas in the country also remain under pressure. Without sustained rainfall, further catchments are at risk of reaching Significant Scarcity in the coming week. 

Current conditions

Much of the east coast currently remains at Moderate Scarcity, including the wider Tweed and Ythan catchments, Dee (Aberdeen), Esk (Angus), Firth of Forth, Almond and Tyne (Lothian). 

Thurso, Shin, Conon and Inverness East have been raised to Alert, joining Helmsdale and Orkney. 

Away from the east, conditions are improving. The Clyde, Tay and Earn catchments have recovered from Alert to Early Warning thanks to improved soil moisture and river flows.  

Much of the southwest has also returned to Normal conditions. 

Further catchments are at risk of reaching Significant Scarcity unless they see enough sustained rainfall to recover. These are more defined areas, linked to individual drought risk assessment stations across Scotland. In the north-east, the Findhorn, Findhorn East, South Ugie Water, Lower Dee, Water of Feugh and Lunan Water are all at risk. Further south, the Leven and the East Neuk (Fife), the Tyne (Lothian), Upper Tweed, Mid-Tweed and Lauderdale could also be raised to Significant. 

Evidence and impacts

August brought below-average rainfall across the east of Scotland, with some areas receiving less than a third of the normal amount. This continues a year-long deficit in places, reflected in record-low groundwater levels at several SEPA boreholes.

• Newton of Falkland in Fife has recorded its lowest level in its 28-year record
• Muirton Nature Reserve in Angus has recorded its lowest level in its 17-year record

David Harley, SEPA’s Head of Water and Planning, said:

“This situation has been developing over many months. Groundwater, which usually recharges over the wetter months, and spring snowmelt are like a bank account that rivers can normally draw on to keep flowing through the summer. This year that account is running dry, leaving rivers without their usual baseflow. For example, the Lower Spey hasn’t had this many low-flow days since 1972. That’s having real impacts on people, businesses and the environment.

“Our decisions are guided by science and data, and our DRAT station monitoring plays a critical role in our ability to respond quickly, fairly and proportionately. Our ongoing monitoring over the summer has enabled us to anticipate risks and engage early with abstracters, ensuring that restrictions on water abstraction were implemented only when absolutely required. These will be lifted as soon as the situation changes and we are confident that rivers have recovered sufficiently.”

SEPA officers are present in catchments where restrictions are now in place, ensuring licence holders understand what the measures mean for them and providing advice on using water wisely.

At the same time SEPA ecologists are carrying out surveys in the most affected catchments to monitor how invertebrate communities, the foundation of the river food web, are coping with prolonged low flows. This information will help SEPA identify whether river communities are holding steady or shifting in ways that could undermine the long-term ecological health of Scotland’s waters. Healthy river systems are not just vital for wildlife, they provide the stable, resilient water resources that Scotland's businesses and communities depend on for the long term.

Anyone can track conditions via SEPA’s Drought Risk Assessment Tool (DRAT), which shows colour-coded stations across Scotland and how close they are to Significant Scarcity. Clicking on an individual station will show how many days it has been at Q95, a recognised low flow threshold. When a station reaches 30 days the catchments linked to the station will be moved to Significant Scarcity, and SEPA will move to impose any restrictions required. 

Notes to Editors

Water scarcity levels

• Early Warning: Conditions are drying. No action required, but abstractors should start preparing. 
• Alert: Water levels are falling. SEPA advises voluntary reductions in non-essential water use for abstractors. 
• Moderate Scarcity: Environmental impact is clear. Action from abstractors is expected to protect rivers and the species that rely on them. 
• Significant Scarcity: Critical river levels. Restrictions on abstraction licences may be imposed. 

Data sources

• SEPA Water Scarcity situation report - 4th September 2025
• SEPA’s river level network - Find Scottish water levels information
• Rainfall data for Scotland - Scottish Rainfall Data
• DRAT - Water scarcity data - provided by Scottish Environment Protection Agency

DRAT stations and Significant Scarcity

Significant scarcity is reached when river flows have been very low for 30 or more days. We use a tool called the Drought Risk Assessment Tool (DRAT) to set significant scarcity level. 

DRAT is a network of flow gauging stations that SEPA monitor across Scotland and are used to set significant water scarcity when flows have been low for a sustained period of time. 

Data has been collected at these stations for a long period of time, so this allows us to give context to what is currently happening with the amount of flow in rivers relative to what you would normally expect. 

The river flow stations are each used as a representation of the conditions over an area, called a significant water scarcity area. The area and representative gauging stations are displayed on the tool.

Further support and useful links

The National Water Scarcity Plan explains how water resources will be managed prior to and during periods of prolonged dry weather. This is to ensure the correct balance is struck between protecting the environment and providing resource for human and economic activity.

Report dry private water supplies and rivers and burns in your area to help SEPA assess water scarcity stress.

All water abstractors should be aware of the potential risk of water scarcity this summer, monitor their water use, and plan ahead for a range of weather conditions. Find further advice for abstractors and irrigators on our website.