Parts of Scotland has been issued an early water scarcity warning that experts predict will intensify in the coming weeks.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has raised the alert for most of the country, as Northern Scotland saw its driest Spring since 2018. According to the Met Office Spring weather analysis, Scotland saw less than half its usual rainfall in May.
Several lochs are exhibiting low water levels and Scots are being urged to use water sensibly, as use is currently straining sources. With fine weather set to continue, SEPA warned the water scarcity situation could continue.
Spokesman for the Water Scarcity team at SEPA, Stephen McGuire, said: "Initially, there were early warnings of water scarcity in the north and west of the Scotland with rainfall and river flows low for the time of year. But in recent weeks we have experienced more rapidly drying conditions and river levels are now very low across much of Scotland.
“We have already issued alerts for water scarcity in the northwest and south central areas, and with little rain in the immediate forecast we expect the situation to escalate quickly and extend across a much wider area in the coming weeks. SEPA will continue to report weekly on the emerging situation.”
Loch Maree in the Highlands has been put on a moderate scarcity alert, after Sepa recorded extremely low river flows, also seen at the surrounding areas of the north-west Highlands, extending down to Loch Ness. Only north Aberdeenshire remains at normal conditions for the time being, the agency said.
Scotland saw only 44 per cent of the long-term average rainfall across the country in May and with forecasts for the next week are predicting little rain. Meanwhile, Scottish Water has urged people to use water more efficiently, saying every Scot is using an average of 180 litres a day.
This is both higher than before Covid and usage in the rest of the UK and is said to be putting a strain on water supplies. Average reservoir levels across Scotland at 85 per cent – four per cent lower than average for this time of year and six per cent less than this time last year.
Kes Juskowiak, of Scottish Water, said: “The recent dry weather has seen an increase in customer use and an additional 100 million litres of water had to be distributed each day across the weekend and on Monday. That is the equivalent of 50 Olympic-sized swimming pools, or 1.2 million baths each day.
Mr Juskowiak added: “We believe that a large part of the additional water use is within gardens, so we would ask that customers are mindful of how much water they use in outdoor spaces such as lawns. Water is always worth saving, so we would ask everyone to do all they can in and around the home and garden to help us keep water flowing normally to their taps.
“By taking simple steps to reduce the volume used around the home and garden, we can make our country’s water go even further.”
Sepa has urged farmers and golf course owners to only use the water they need. Nathan Critchlow-Watton, head of water and planning at the agency, said: “This is a crucial time of year for water demand, but with no rain in the forecast we cannot rule out needing to impose restrictions over the summer.
“Abstractors must manage water wisely in the coming weeks and months and should already have contingency plans in place in case restrictions are needed to avoid long-term damage to the environment and fish populations.”
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