WATER abstraction restrictions remain in place on two Scottish rivers after they recorded 39 consecutive days of very low flows.
The River Teviot and Ettrick Water are continuing to face significant pressure, with restrictions set to remain until water levels recover sufficiently.
The Lower Dee and Water of Feugh have also moved into Significant Scarcity status, although there are currently no abstraction licence holders affected in those catchments.
Sepa warned that the Dee in Galloway and Urr Water could reach the same level within the next week without sustained rainfall.
Companies facing the abstraction restrictions imposed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) include Fisheries Management Scotland, NFU Scotland, the Scotch Whisky Association, and Scottish Golf.
The environment agency said other catchments which had previously recovered following rainfall were again experiencing very low flows.
It said the situation demonstrated the ongoing strain on Scotland’s water environment after months of dry conditions.
Sepa officers have been visiting areas where restrictions are in force and said they had found good levels of compliance among businesses which take water from rivers and other natural sources.
Those affected by restrictions must follow conditions set by Sepa.
Shona McConnell, Sepa's head of compliance, said: “This has been a challenging summer for businesses which rely on water from the environment, and we recognise the impact restrictions can have on them.
“Our officers have seen good compliance with the restrictions currently in place.
"These are regulatory requirements designed to protect rivers when they are under significant pressure, and it is important that businesses continue to comply.
“Recent rainfall has helped in some places, but we've also seen rivers return to very low levels. That underlines why we can't look at individual periods of rainfall in isolation, recovery depends on sustained rainfall over time.
“As our climate changes, rainfall is becoming less predictable and water may not always be available where and when it is needed. Building resilience means planning for that uncertainty, adapting how we use water and taking action early rather than waiting until water availability becomes a problem.
“We'll continue to monitor conditions closely, work with abstractors and take action where necessary to protect Scotland's water environment.”
Current water scarcity levels across Scotland:
- Significant Scarcity: River Teviot, Ettrick Water, Lower Dee and Water of Feugh.
- Moderate Scarcity: Deveron, Ythan, Don (Aberdeenshire), Dee (Aberdeen), Esk (Angus), Firth of Tay, Firth of Forth, Almond, Tyne (Lothian), Tweed and Dee (Galloway).
- Alert: Findhorn, Spey, Esk (Dumfriesshire) and Cree.
- Early Warning: Conon, Tay, Earn, Forth, Annan, Nith, Doon, Irvine and Ayr, and Clyde.
Areas not listed above are at normal conditions.
Hot and dry weather is expected across the UK in the coming days, with an amber warning for extreme heat in place for much of England on Thursday.
A wildfire warning, issued by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) in conjunction with the Scottish Wildfire Forum (SWF), came as firefighters continue to work in Cairngorms National Park – four weeks after a wildfire began near the Ryvoan Bothy, close to Aviemore.
Fire crews are continuing to dampen down hotspots within the area.
Met Office deputy chief forecaster David Oliver said: “While Thursday will be the peak of the heat this week, some warmth will remain in the south and southeast on Friday, before easing more widely on Saturday as cooler air spreads south from the northwest.”
High pressure is likely to retain some influence over the weather in the south of the UK later in the weekend but may begin to weaken into the start of next week. Details are uncertain, but this may allow showers or some longer spells of rain to spread across parts of the UK for a time.
