Back to News

Latest SEPA water scarcity report shows gradual recovery but long-term pressure in the north and east

The Avon, Lower Spey and part of the Ythan remain at Significant Water Scarcity, while the Deveron and the rest of the Spey and Ythan remain at Moderate Scarcity.

Findhorn, Don (Aberdeenshire), Firth of Tay and Tyne (Lothian) catchments remain at Alert.

Conon, Dee (Aberdeen), Esk, Earn, Firth of Forth, Almond, Tweed, Thurso, Orkney and Shetland are now at Early Warning. 

These conditions reflect continued low river flows, dry ground, and limited rainfall over recent months. Rain is forecast for Friday and Saturday, and SEPA will continue to monitor closely to assess any improvement. 

The rest of the country is at Normal Conditions.

Ellen Willmott SEPA Principal hydrologist in Water Resources, said:

“As we move into more unsettled and typically autumnal weather, we’re starting to see gradual recovery in some areas. However, the length of time that rivers have been at low flows shows the accumulated impact of the dry conditions over recent months.

“We’ll continue to monitor the situation closely and work with water users to help manage local resources as conditions change.”

SEPA will continue to publish weekly water scarcity updates to keep communities, land managers, and businesses informed.

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 - 23rd October 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, Q95 and Significant Scarcity

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 below 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.     

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. 

Each station may represent a single river or a group of catchments. For this reason, the number of DRAT stations and areas at Significant Scarcity may be different. 

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 risk of water scarcity, monitor their water use, and plan ahead for a range of weather conditions. Find further advice for abstractors and irrigators on our website.