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Water scarcity report - 06 August 2026

This week’s key changes

• New areas raised to Significant Scarcity: River Teviot, Ettrick Water.

• Areas no longer at Significant Scarcity: Lunan Water, Tay Estuary (North) (area reached, and recovered from, Significant Scarcity since previous report), North Fife, and Fife (East Neuk).

• New temporary restrictions on licences: SEPA have issued temporary restrictions on some licences to abstract water from the environment in the areas that have reached Significant Scarcity.  For further information see Significant water scarcity guidance.

• Areas with improved water scarcity level (Alert): Spey, Esk.  (Early Warning): Tay, Earn, Forth, Clyde.  (Normal Conditions): Naver, Shin, Irvine and Ayr, Leven (Dunbartonshire), Firth of Clyde.

Map and water scarcity levels

Use the drought risk assessment tool to explore conditions through our interactive map. This tool shows the number of days that river flows have been very low and is used to help identify areas at greater risk of long-term ecological impacts. When river flows have been very low for 30 or more days, Significant Scarcity is reached. Data is updated daily at 0930 GMT / 1030 BST.

Conditions overview

• Rainfall - July rainfall was below average for the south and east of Scotland, with many areas seeing less than half the long-term average for the month.  Periods of heavy rainfall this week across the country have resulted in some recovery in eastern catchments but further rainfall is required for widespread improvements. 

• River flows - Widely very low, though with normal to high flows in the north-west and in the northern isles. Many east coast rivers are seeing a prolonged period of low flows although recent heavy rainfall has caused a rise in river levels.

• Soil/ground conditions - Some recovery in central and northern Scotland. However, around much of the east coast ground conditions remain very dry or dry. Elsewhere generally normal to quite dry.

• Groundwater and loch levels - Groundwater levels in central Fife are very low for the time of year. Elsewhere in East Scotland levels are low or very low. In other areas levels remain normal or above.

Read in more detail our hydrological overview of the current conditions below.

Areas at risk of Significant Scarcity

Unless there is sustained rainfall, Significant Scarcity could be reached within the next week in the following areas: Mid-Dee (Ballater to Banchory), and Lower Dee and Water of Feugh.

You can monitor this on the Drought Risk Assessment Tool.

Weather forecast

Outbreaks of rain will affect the north on Friday, persistent rain expected across the northwest. Spells of rain across the west and north on Saturday, drier elsewhere. Some early rain on Sunday, otherwise becoming dry. Dry on Monday.

Advice for water users

Everyone should plan to increase their resilience to the impacts of prolonged dry conditions. By taking the right steps now, it could help reduce the impact of water scarcity in the future. For further information visit Advice for abstractors and irrigators

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Supporting information

This section goes into more detail on the data behind the water scarcity levels.

Rainfall and river flows

These maps show rainfall and river flows relative to the long-term average, for this time of year, over 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months. 

Recent rainfall conditions have been extremely dry in the south-west, and very dry in the north-east, with generally normal to quite dry conditions elsewhere. Recent river flows have been widely very low, with normal to high flows in the north-west and in the northern isles.

Over the past three months, rainfall conditions have been generally normal to very wet in the west, with the wetter conditions further north, and dry to very dry in the east and locally in the central belt and far south-west. River flows reflect this general pattern, with normal to very high flows in the west and very low flows in the east and across the central belt. 

Over the past six months, rainfall conditions in Moray, Speyside and down the east coast have been largely dry to very dry with mostly normal conditions elsewhere and wet conditions in the north-west and northern isles. River flows have been very low in the central belt and parts of the north, with an area of extremely low flows around the Black Isle and the Moray coast. Elsewhere, river flows have generally ranged from normal to very high. 

What do the map colours mean?

Rainfall	Extremely dry	Very dry	Dry	Quite dry	Normal Conditions	Wet	Very wet
River flow	Extremely low	Very low	Low	Quite low	Normal Conditions	High	Very high
	Red	Orange	Light orange	Yellow	Green	Light blue	Dark blue

Soil moisture deficit

Natural water storage – groundwater and loch levels

In each river catchment there is some degree of natural water storage, which can maintain river flows even when it is not raining. This natural water storage is mainly held in lochs and groundwater. When storage has been depleted it will take a lot of rainfall for levels to recover.

The maps below show recent groundwater and loch level compared to the long-term record at each individual station. Level is reported as high or low compared to the typical (‘normal’) level range for the time of year.

Level ranges are specific to each station and based on the long-term (minimum 10 years) record of mean monthly level values recorded at individual stations. 

Recorded groundwater levels in central Fife are very low for the time of year. In the 30 year monitoring record at the Newton of Falkland borehole July levels have only been lower twice before (2025 and 2006).  Elsewhere in the East of Scotland groundwater levels are low or very low.  In all other areas levels remain normal or above.  

Loch levels show a mixed picture, with most sites at normal to high levels. However, Lochindorb, to the east of Inverness, has a very low level.  

What do the map colours mean?

Very high	High	Normal range	Low	Very low
Dark blue	Light blue	Light green	Light orange	Dark orange

Flow, rainfall and groundwater data are accessed via SEPA's time series data service (API). SEPA's live data are subject to ongoing quality control and periodic review.

Scottish Water are responsible for public water supply and distribution in Scotland. Scottish Water reports on the raw water stored in these supplies.

Report copyright

• Current water scarcity levels - © SEPA. Some features of this information are based on digital spatial data licensed from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology © NERC (CEH). Contains OS data © Crown copyright (and database right).
• Areas of significant water scarcity - OS Data - © Crown Copyright - SEPA licence number 100016991 (2022)
• Rainfall, river flow, groundwater and loch levels - Base map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
• Soil moisture deficit - Data based on MORECS (Met Office © Crown Copyright). Some features of this information are based on digital spatial data licensed from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology © NERC (CEH). Contains OS data © Crown copyright (and database right). Base map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
• Weather forecast  - Crown copyright [2022], Met Office