Water environment fund (WEF)
The Water Environment Fund (WEF) supports the restoration of Scotland’s rivers, delivering environmental, social, and economic benefits to communities across the country.
Administered by SEPA on behalf of the Scottish Government, WEF prioritises projects that provide the greatest positive impact for rivers and the people who live alongside them.
What we do
Since its creation in 2013, WEF has worked successfully with partners to deliver two key programmes:
Revitalising urban rivers
- Restoring historically modified or damaged rivers, often in disadvantaged communities
- Creating attractive, accessible green corridors for walking, cycling, and recreation
- Enhancing health and wellbeing for local residents
- Building climate resilience for both communities and wildlife
- Supporting regeneration and sustainable development opportunities
Improving fish migration
- Removing or modifying barriers to restore fish passage
- Expanding habitat accessible to native species
- Supporting the recovery of endangered fish populations
- Creating opportunities for angling, tourism, and recreation
- Contributing to local economic growth in river communities
Working in partnership
Projects are developed and delivered collaboratively with:
- Local authorities
- Landowners and structure owners
- Fishery trusts and environmental NGOs
How the fund is used
WEF supports river restoration through:
- Direct project delivery
- Removal or modification of redundant weirs
- Commissioning feasibility studies, designs, and construction works
- Partnership support
- Collaboration with local authorities to restore urban rivers and surrounding green spaces
WEF project highlights
To highlight the positive work of WEF, here are a selection of previous projects and their outcomes:
The Levern Water River Restoration Project, Barrhead
removed two barriers to wild fish migration, allowing for biodiversity resilience
installed 380m of new public footpaths and planted up attractive riverside ‘blue-green’ space for the community of Barrhead
planted 600 native trees to create a mini climate forest.
Halter Burn
removed the redundant Halter Burn weir, restoring access for migratory fish to at least 1.6km of upstream river in the Borders
planted over 300 trees in the Halter Burn catchment providing enhanced biodiversity and shading for fish
aimed to help boost populations of species such as the endangered Atlantic salmon, critically endangered eel.
Cross Mills Weir
opened up 4km of good quality spawning habitat to migratory fish
restored the physical condition and ecological status of the Levern Water from ‘poor’ to ‘good’
aimed to restore the Levern Water to pre-industrial conditions and form an attractive green corridor between Barrhead and Glasgow.
For more detail on these projects, and additional case studies, see our list of WEF case studies.
Contact us
For more information about the Water Environment Fund, please get in touch: Restoration.propsals@sepa.org.uk