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Water guidance

This page lists all of our water guidance. Most of this is also available on our Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulation (EASR) water activity webpages.

There are some guidance documents which we have not yet made accessible or updated the information for EASR. If you want a copy of these please contact iaf@sepa.org.uk.

Discharges

Aquaculture

• WAT-G-077: Aquaculture application modelling checklist for industry

• WAT-G-078: Hydrographic data guidance for aquaculture

• WAT-G-079: New Depomod guidance for aquaculture applications

• Authorisation guidance on pen layout changes at marine finfish farm

• Aquaculture guidance web pages

Sewage and sewage overflows

Small sewage discharges

• Septic tanks and private sewage treatment systems

• Private sewage treatment system registration guidance

• Making a change to your private sewage registration

• Maintaining your private sewage treatment system

• Campervan and motorhome wastewater disposal

• How we will respond to complaints regarding small-scale private sewage treatment systems

• WAT-G-057: EASR Guidance: Permit Activity: Discharge of sewage effluent

Larger sewage discharges and sewer overflows

• WAT-G-057: EASR Guidance: Permit Activity: Discharge of sewage effluent

• WAT-G-058: EASR Guidance: Permit Activity: Sewer Overflows

• WAT-G-065: EASR guidance: Permit activity - Municipal sewage treatment works

Water run-off

• WAT-G-056: EASR Guidance: The discharge of water run-off from a surface water drainage system from built developments.

• WAT-G-075: EASR Guidance: The discharge of water run-off from construction sites.

Hot tubs and swimming pools

• WAT-G-050: EASR guidance: Registration activity: Discharge of hot tub or swimming pool effluent where the volume is less than or equal to 10m³/day

• WAT-G-051: EASR Guidance: Permit Activity: Discharge of hot tub or swimming pool effluent

General discharge guidance

• WAT-G-066: EASR Guidance: Assessing the impact of a discharge on coastal and transitional waters

• WAT-G-068: EASR Guidance: Permit Activity: Hydrogeological guidance for discharges of effluent to a soakaway

• WAT-G-069: EASR Guidance: Permit Activity: The discharge of effluent to the water environment

• WAT-G-070: EASR Guidance: Discharges to and near bathing and shellfish waters

• WAT-G-071: SEPA Guidance: Assigning groundwater assessment criteria for pollutant inputs

• WAT-G-072: EASR Guidance: Environmental standards for discharges to surface waters

• WAT-G-073: SEPA Guidance: List of groundwater hazardous substances and groundwater standards

• WAT-G-074: Protecting and improving water quality

• WAT-G-109: EASR Guidance: Addressing the risks posed by excess inputs of phosphorous into inland surface waters

Water treatment works

• WAT-G-067: EASR Guidance: Permit Activity: Discharges from water treatment works

Rural diffuse pollution

• Rural diffuse pollution page

Oil storage

• WAT-G-108: EASR Guidance: Domestic oil spills

• WAT-G-060: EASR Guidance: GBR 26, 27 and 28: Oil storage

• WAT-G-061: EASR Guidance: Permit Activity: Oil storage for onward distribution

Pesticide application

• WAT-G-052 - EASR guidance: Registration activity: Application of pesticides that are Plant Protection Products (PPP) and adjuvants near water

• WAT-G-053 - EASR guidance: Permit activity: The application of pesticides that are Plant Protection Products (PPP) and adjuvants to water

Sheep dipping and dip disposal

• WAT-G-062: EASR Guidance: GBR 24: Sheep dipping

• WAT-G-063 - EASR guidance: Permit activity: The disposal of waste sheep dip, waste sheep cosmetic products or Plant Protection Products (PPP)

Detergents and disinfectants

• WAT-G-049 - EASR guidance: Registration activity: The disposal of detergents and disinfectants during the outbreak of a notifiable disease

Abstraction

Borehole construction

• WAT-G-006: EASR Guidance: Registration Activity: Construction works for boreholes less than or equal to 200m

• WAT-G-007: EASR Guidance: Borehole construction and decommissioning best practice

• WAT-G-059: EASR Guidance: Permit Activity: The construction extension or operation of any borehole more than 200 metres in depth

Surface water and groundwater abstraction

• WAT-G-003: EASR guidance: Registration activity: Abstraction from inland waters

• WAT-G-004: EASR Guidance: Registration Activity: Abstraction of seawater or groundwater under the seabed

• WAT-G-005: EASR guidance: Registration activity: Abstraction from and discharge back to the same freshwater loch

• WAT-G-040: EASR Guidance: Permit application guide for abstractions and impoundments

• WAT-G-043: Guidance for developers of run of river hydropower schemes

• WAT-G-044: EASR Guidance: Water Source Heat Pump guidance

• WAT-G-045: EASR Guidance: Water activities related to geothermal energy

• WAT-G-048: EASR Guidance: Registration Activity: Abstraction from an offline impoundment fed solely by field drains or groundwater

• WAT-G-054: EASR Guidance: Registration Activity: Abstraction from a borehole less than or equal to 5000m3/year for testing or sampling

• WAT-G-076: Pumping test information to support permit application

Further Hydro webpages

• Hydrological information requirements

• Fish and habitat information

• Protected areas and species information

• Morphological information

• Water benefit costs

• Other relevant consents and additional supporting information

Water scarcity

• Water scarcity webpage

Impoundment

• WAT-G-001: EASR Guidance: Registration Activity: Operation of an existing impoundment more than 1m high

• WAT-G-002: EASR Guidance: Registration Activity: Impoundments for peatland restoration or wetland creation

• WAT-G-040: EASR Guidance: Permit application guide for abstractions and impoundments

• WAT-G-042: EASR Guidance: Impoundment alterations (removal and modification)

Engineering

• WAT-G-010: EASR Guidance: Registration Activity: Bank Works less than or equal to 50 metres

• WAT-G-011: EASR Guidance: Registration Activity: Channel modification less than or equal to 15 metres associated with a structure

• WAT-G-012: EASR Guidance: Registration Activity: Channel modification of a previously modified minor watercourse

• WAT-G-013: EASR Guidance: Registration Activity: Crossing with part of crossing only on the banks

• WAT-G-014: EASR Guidance: Registration Activity: Crossing with part of the crossing on the bed where watercourse bed is 2 metres or less

• WAT-G-015: EASR Guidance: Registration Activity: Instream structures or placement of boulders which occupy more than 10 percent of the bed width

• WAT-G-016: EASR Guidance: Registration Activity: In-loch structures with a total area of 50 square metres or less

• WAT-G-017: EASR Guidance: Registration Activity: Removal of sediment within open culverts, canals, lades and other artificial inland waters or within 10 metres of a bridge

• WAT-G-018: EASR Guidance: Registration Activity: Removal of sediment from a previously straightened watercourse affecting 500 metres or less

• WAT-G-019: EASR Guidance: Registration Activity: Removal of sediment from individual exposed sediment deposits within no more than 1 kilometre of channel

• WAT-G-020: EASR Guidance: Registration Activity: Removal of sediment in lochs affecting 50 square metres or less

• WAT-G-022: EASR Guidance: Engineering: Activity Guide: Bank works

• WAT-G-023: EASR Guidance: Engineering: Activity Guide: Channel modification

• WAT-G-024: EASR Guidance: Engineering: Activity Guide: Crossings

• WAT-G-025: EASR Guidance: Engineering: Activity Guide: Instream and in-loch structures

• WAT-G-026: EASR Guidance: Engineering: Activity Guide: Sediment management

• WAT-G-027: EASR Guidance: Engineering: Maintenance, replacement and removal of existing engineered structures

• WAT-G-028: EASR Guidance: Engineering: Activity Guide: In the vicinity, beyond the vicinity and affecting wetlands

• WAT-G-029: EASR Guidance: Engineering: Sustainable bank protection

• WAT-G-030: EASR Guidance: Engineering: Meeting good Practice

• WAT-G-031: EASR Guidance: Engineering: Permit Application Guide

• WAT-G-033: EASR Guidance: Inland surface waters and river subtype

• Dredging guidance webpage

• Sustainable bank management webpage

Other water activity

• WAT-G-009: EASR Guidance: Operation and alteration of a structure.

• WAT-G-055: EASR Guidance: Permit Activity: Carcase burial.

General water guidance

• WAT-G-008: EASR Guidance: Assessment of impact on Protected areas from inland water activities

• WAT-G-032: EASR Guidance: Fish Protection

• WAT-G-034: EASR Guidance: Construction works and silt/pollution mitigation

• WAT-G-035: EASR Guidance: Drawings for Permit level water activities

• WAT-G-036: EASR Guidance: Intakes and Outfalls

• WAT-G-037: EASR Guidance: Riparian vegetation management

• WAT-G-041: Derogation determination – improvements to the water environment

• WAT-G-046: Assessing significantly better environmental options

• WAT-G-047: Assessing the significance of impacts – social, economic and environmental

• WAT-G-064: EASR Guidance: Identifying groundwater dependent terrestrial ecosystems (GWDTE)

• EASR-G-001: EASR Guidance: Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS)

• Water benefit costs

Planning Guidance

• Assessing Risks to Water Environment Associated with Burial Grounds

• Guidance on Assessing the Impacts of Development on Groundwater Abstractions

• Guidance on Assessing the Impacts of Developments on Groundwater Dependent Terrestrial Ecosystems

Other Guidance available from SEPA on request

Discharges

• WAT-RM-40: Assessment of numeric discharge quality conditions (for CAR, UWWTD, IPC and PPC compliance)

• WAT-SG-42: Communications protocol for compliance sampling and reporting between SEPA and Scottish Water

• WAT-SG-87: Compliance monitoring for sewer network licences

• CAS-G-002: Calibration of monitoring and measurement equipment at sewage treatment works

• CAS-G-003: Flow/event monitoring at Scottish Water STWs

• CAS-G-004: Flow recording and reporting at sewage treatment works and on the sewer network

Quarries and mineral extraction sites

• Code of practice for the owners and operators of quarries and other mineral extraction sites.

Constructed farm wetlands

• Constructed farm wetlands manual

Groundwater

• Guidance on the use of groundwater standards

Engineering

• Gravel deposits and flood risk to agricultural land