Water Situation Report 4th June 2020

HEADLINE

Fife and the Forth areas are now at Moderate Scarcity. The Tweed remains at

Moderate Scarcity as does the North-East, with exception of the Deveron, which

is now at Alert.

The majority of South-West Scotland remains in Alert along with Ayshire which

is now at Alert. The Moray area also remains at Alert.

The rest of Scotland remains at Early Warning with the exception of Orkney and

Shetland which are still in normal conditions.

Situation summary

Dry conditions have dominated across the country for

much of the week. Any rainfall experienced has not been

sufficient to alleviate the water scarcity situation across

much of the country, which remains dry with low river

levels and very dry ground conditions, particularly in the

South, East and North-East.

Surface conditions in the South-West are becoming very

dry with low river levels. No notable rainfall is expected

in this area over the next few days, therefore Ayrshire is

now at Alert.

Groundwater levels continue to fall steadily across the

country. Levels in the North-East of Scotland remain

exceptionally low and in the South-West and East of the

country levels are also starting to fall below the long-

term average. Above average rainfall would be required

to reduce the drought risk over the summer.

Any prolonged dry weather will result in further

reductions in river flow and drier ground conditions and

is likely to increase the water scarcity level in these

areas. SEPA is monitoring the situation closely and

coordinating steps to manage water resources in line

with Scotland's National Water Scarcity Plan.

There are a number of mine water discharges from former coal mine workings across Scotland.

When mine water discharges into a river, the iron oxidises and results in an orange staining as it

settles on the bed of the river. The recent reduction in river flows has meant that there is less

dilution and this orange discolouration has become much more visible in some impacted rivers.

Any prolonged dry weather over the coming weeks could result in further reduction in river flows

and increased mine water impacts. SEPA is working with other partners to resolve these mining

issues.

Advice for water users

Public water supplies are operating normally.

There is increasing risk to private water supplies. If you are impacted you can find advice at the

following link: https://www.mygov.scot/housing-local-services/water-supplies-sewerage/private-

water-supplies/

Water sources used for irrigating farm land are at risk of becoming limited in the Alert and

Moderate areas. We are urging farmers in these areas, especially if taking water from burns and

small rivers,to:

Only irrigate when, and only as much as, absolutely necessary;

Make sure irrigation equipment isn’t leaking.

Try to irrigate at night to reduce evaporation losses.

Explore how you and your neighbours in the same river catchment could avoid irrigating at the

same time.

Consider whether you could switch to using groundwater rather than river water if conditions

worsen. If you would need a new borehole to do this, your local SEPA office will be able to help

and advise.

Managers of golf courses are asked to do the same.

For the most up to date advice please see: Advice for abstractors.

Water abstractors with concerns about meeting licence conditions or wishing to discuss contingency

measures should contact SEPA at the following e-mail address Water Scarcity mailbox.

Rainfall forecast – 03/06/20

A northerly flow for the coming days bringing cooler temperatures. Bands of occasionally heavy rain crossing from the north Friday and Saturday, bringing periods of heavy rain to northern hills, before weakening and clearing south early Sunday. Mainly dry Monday. The latest long-term rainfall forecast suggests that below-average rainfall is more likely than above-average rainfall for June-July-August. Above-average temperatures are more likely over this period. For further details on the seasonal forecast see the latest 3-month outlook summaries at https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/services/government/contingency-planners/index. Further details on the current situation are provided in the following figures:

3rd June 2020

Groundwater levels have fallen

across the country throughout May

and into June. This is a result of lower

than average rainfall across the

country in April and May.

Groundwater levels at the majority of

sites are close to the long-term

average. However, our monitoring

sites in the north-east show

groundwater levels are very low for

this time of year and some sites in the

south west and east now show low

groundwater levels.

We have up to date data for 11

monitoring sites, spread across the

east and south-west of the country

giving a good picture of the current

situation. Levels from a selection of

representative sites are shown in the

charts below.

Surface water storage is showing a

similar pattern. Loch levels are

slightly lower than the normal range

for this time of year.

The following charts show the trend in groundwater level

(GWL) since summer 2019 at selected monitoring sites (see

map above). Groundwater level is shown by the black line.

The coloured zones represent the normal range and pattern

of groundwater level, based on average monthly levels from

the long-term record.

Very high groundwater level

High groundwater level

Normal groundwater level range

Low groundwater level

Very low groundwater level

Natural water storage situation

In each river catchment there is some degree of 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 natural storage

has been depleted it will take a lot of rainfall for levels to recover.

Please note that the map below does not reflect conditions in managed water supply reservoirs.

• Murton

• Drumine

• Newbridge

• Redmoss

• Scotlandwell

• Deerdykes

• Annan

21

22

23

06/19 08/19 10/19 12/19 02/20 04/20 06/20

GW

L m

AO

D

Drumine (data record from 2009)

100

101

102

06/19 08/19 10/19 12/19 02/20 04/20 06/20

GW

L m

AO

D

Redmoss (data record from 2008)

50

51

51

52

52

53

53

54

06/19 08/19 10/19 12/19 02/20 04/20 06/20

GW

L m

AO

D

Deerdykes Deep (data record from 2008)

70

71

72

73

06/19 08/19 10/19 12/19 02/20 04/20 06/20

GW

L m

AO

D

Murton (data record from 2008)

111

112

113

114

115

116

117

118

06/19 08/19 10/19 12/19 02/20 04/20 06/20

GW

L m

AO

D

Scotlandwell (data record from 1998)

8

9

10

11

12

13

06/19 08/19 10/19 12/19 02/20 04/20 06/20

GW

L m

AO

D

Newbridge (data record from 1993)

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

06/19 08/19 10/19 12/19 02/20 04/20 06/20

GW

L m

AO

D

Annan (data record from 1993)