Rain not enough to reduce pressure on Scotland’s eastern rivers
Date published: 30 July 2026
Recent rainfall has improved river conditions in parts of Scotland, with several catchments moving to lower levels of water scarcity. However, prolonged dry conditions mean rivers across much of eastern Scotland remain under significant pressure, with four catchments continuing to experience Significant Scarcity.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency's (SEPA) latest weekly water scarcity report shows that the Lunan Water, Lower Don, North Fife and Fife East Neuk remain in Significant Scarcity. If river flows remain exceptionally low, Tay Estuary North, the River Teviot and Ettrick Water could also move to this level over the coming week.
This week's assessment does show improvements in the south and west of the country. The Lower Tweed, Whiteadder Water and Berwickshire Coastal catchments in the Scottish Borders have recovered enough to come out of Significant Scarcity, though the area does remain in Moderate Scarcity.
Doon, Irvine and Ayr have improved to Early Warning, while Argyll Coast, Loch Linnhe and Lochy (Inverness-shire) have returned to Normal Conditions.
However, conditions continue to deteriorate elsewhere. The Spey, Ythan and Dee (Aberdeen) have moved to Moderate Water Scarcity, while the Forth has moved to Alert.
Although rain is forecast over the coming days it is too early to know whether it will provide enough sustained rainfall to restore river flows in the catchments currently under pressure.
Shona McConnell, SEPA's Head of Compliance, said:
"Recent rainfall has brought welcome improvements in some parts of Scotland. However, many rivers, particularly across eastern Scotland, continue to experience the impacts of prolonged dry weather, with some recording exceptionally low flows for the time of year.
“It’s encouraging to see improvements in some catchments, but recovery does not happen overnight. A river’s level may improve enough to move out of significant water scarcity while the wider catchment remains under pressure.
“Even though we’ve seen some rain, it doesn’t always reach the areas that need it most, and even when it does it may not be enough to restore river flows after a prolonged dry period. How rivers respond depends on the right amount of rain, in the right place, at the right time
“We assess conditions every day and update water scarcity levels as the evidence changes. You can keep up to date with this changing picture on our website using our Drought Risk Assessment Tool. Our weekly report will continue to provide the national picture,”
SEPA's water scarcity assessments reflect conditions across each catchment, taking account of rainfall, river flows and soil moisture. Significant Scarcity is different. It is triggered when river flows remain below the recognised Q95 low-flow threshold for a prolonged period, indicating increased pressure on rivers and the wildlife that depends on them.
Temporary restrictions on licensed water abstractions remain in place in catchments affected by Significant Water Scarcity and will be lifted as soon as measured river conditions recover.
SEPA continue to monitor conditions daily using its drought risk assessment tools, with decisions based on measured environmental conditions rather than rainfall forecasts or fixed dates.
The latest Water Scarcity Report, catchment maps, advice for businesses and other water users, and information on reporting signs of water scarcity are available on SEPA’s water scarcity pages.
Notes to editors
A pre-recorded interview with Peter Wright, Unit Manager in SEPA's Water, Industry and Rural Environment team is available for media to download. You do not need to register. Only the first 20 seconds can be listened to without downloading.
Current water scarcity levels
Significant Scarcity: Lunan Water, Lower Don, North Fife, Fife (East Neuk)
Moderate Scarcity: Spey, Deveron, Ythan, Don (Aberdeenshire), Dee (Aberdeen), Esk, Firth of Tay, Firth of Forth, Almond, Tyne (Lothian), Tweed
Alert: Findhorn, Tay, Earn, Forth, Esk (Dumfriesshire), Annan, Dee (Galloway), Cree, Clyde
Early Warning: Shin, Conon, Ness, Nith, Doon, Irvine and Ayr, Leven (Dumbartonshire), Firth of Clyde, Naver, Outer Hebrides
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 - 30th July 2026
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
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.