Back to News

Week-to-week changes tell only part of Scotland's water scarcity story

The latest Water Scarcity Report from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) shows two areas remain at Significant Scarcity and 10 at Moderate Scarcity, a level where environmental impacts are already clear.

The Dee in Galloway and Urr Water remain at Significant Scarcity, while the Upper Tweed and Mid Tweed and Lauderdale could reach Severe Scarcity within the next week without sustained rainfall.

The Teviot, Lower Dee and Ettrick Water have moved out of Significant Scarcity this week, while the Spey has moved back to Early Warning. But moving down the scarcity scale does not mean water scarcity has ended, or that the water environment has returned to normal.

River flows remain low or very low across much of eastern and southern Scotland, while higher flows are generally found in the west and north. Many east coast rivers continue to experience prolonged periods of low flow.

The contrast is also reflected in longer-term rainfall. Much of eastern Scotland remains drier than normal, while the west and north have generally been wetter.

Ground conditions remain dry to very dry across much of the east, particularly along the east coast and in parts of the north-east, while groundwater levels in central Fife are very low for the time of year.

At Dalbeattie on the Urr Water in Dumfries and Galloway, the river continues to experience the greatest number of low-flow days seen in 20 years.

The latest picture comes five months after SEPA warned that, despite recovery from the 2025 drought over the winter, parts of eastern Scotland could face water scarcity again if spring rainfall was lower than normal.

Groundwater had reached record lows in parts of eastern Scotland during 2025. Winter brought significant recovery in some areas, particularly Dundee, Angus and Aberdeenshire, but recovery elsewhere in the east was more variable.

Dry conditions developed again during the spring and water scarcity has continued through the summer. Individual areas have moved up and down the scarcity scale as conditions have changed, but large parts of eastern and southern Scotland remain affected.

While recent rainfall totals have generally been near normal for the time of year, significant further rainfall will be needed for widespread recovery.

Eilidh Johnston, SEPA Senior Leader in Compliance, said:

“The week-to-week changes are important, but they only tell part of the story. It's positive when an area moves out of Significant Scarcity, but that doesn't mean water scarcity has ended or that the water environment has recovered.

“At Moderate Scarcity, environmental impacts are still clear. Rivers and the plants and animals that depend on them remain under pressure, and action from abstractors is still expected to help protect the water environment.

“We warned in March that, despite important recovery over the winter, parts of eastern Scotland remained at risk if dry conditions returned. We've since seen areas move up and down the scarcity scale, but the underlying pressure across much of the east and south has continued.

“That's why businesses abstracting water need to keep following conditions in their area, using water efficiently and taking appropriate action even when scarcity levels improve.”

SEPA continue to work with businesses and partners while water scarcity conditions persist, including engagement with Scottish Water and trade bodies such as NFU Scotland and the Scotch Whisky Association.

SEPA will continue to monitor rainfall, river flows, soil moisture and groundwater levels and update water scarcity levels as conditions change.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Current water scarcity levels

• Significant Scarcity: Dee (Galloway) and Urr Water

• Moderate Scarcity: Deveron, Ythan, Don (Aberdeenshire), Dee (Aberdeen), Esk (Angus), Firth of Tay, Firth of Forth, Almond, Tyne (Lothian) and Tweed

• Alert: Findhorn, Esk (Dumfriesshire)

• Early Warning: Spey, Tay, Earn, Forth, Nith, Doon, Irvine and Ayr, Clyde, Cree and Annan

• Areas not listed above are at Normal Conditions.

Current data and conditions

The latest information on water scarcity and river conditions is available through:

SEPA's Water Scarcity Situation Report – 27 August 2026 – the weekly assessment of water scarcity conditions across Scotland.

SEPA's Drought Risk Assessment Tool – shows low-flow monitoring stations and how close areas are to Significant Scarcity

SEPA's River Level Network – current river-level information from monitoring stations across Scotland

Rainfall data for Scotland – current and historic rainfall information

Water scarcity and flooding

Scotland can experience flooding and water scarcity at the same time. The two are not contradictory.

Flooding can result from intense rainfall over a relatively short period, while water scarcity reflects the effects of prolonged dry conditions on rivers soils and groundwater. Conditions can therefore vary considerably between different parts of Scotland and individual catchments.

Rain in an area also does not automatically mean water scarcity conditions will improve. After prolonged dry weather, intense rainfall can cause river levels to rise rapidly and lead to localised flooding, but those rises may be short lived. For water scarcity conditions to recover, river flows need to improve sufficiently and remain higher over time.

Dry soils and low groundwater levels can also take longer to recover, meaning sustained rainfall over longer periods may be needed to reverse the effects of prolonged dry conditions.

Water scarcity levels

SEPA uses five levels to describe water scarcity: Normal Conditions, Early Warning, Alert, Moderate Scarcity and Significant Scarcity.

The levels reflect increasing pressure on the water environment. At Significant Scarcity, SEPA may temporarily restrict abstractions from the environment where necessary to protect rivers and ecosystems.

Water scarcity levels relate to the water environment and are not an assessment of public drinking water supplies.

DRAT stations and significant scarcity

SEPA monitors a network of long-established low-flow gauging stations across Scotland to identify when river flows have remained unusually low for a sustained period.

The Drought Risk Assessment Tool (DRAT) shows how many days each station has been below Q95, a recognised low-flow threshold. When a station reaches 30 days below Q95, the catchments it represents move to Significant Scarcity and SEPA will impose any abstraction restrictions required.

Each station represents a defined Significant Scarcity area, which may contain one river or several catchments. As a result, the number of DRAT stations reaching the threshold and the number of areas at Significant Scarcity may be different.

How long water scarcity can last

Water scarcity does not necessarily end at the end of summer. Conditions can improve or deteriorate depending on rainfall and how rivers, soils and groundwater respond.

Further information and support

The National Water Scarcity Plan explains how water scarcity is monitored and managed in Scotland. 

Further information is available on:

• reporting dry private water supplies, rivers and burns

• advice for abstractors and irrigators during water scarcity