Scotland’s Water Crisis: Fact or Fiction? A Few Raindrops Can’t End a Drought
The River Tweed had been running at critically low levels for more than a month, prompting SEPA to impose restrictions on water abstraction for industry and agriculture to protect fragile ecosystems. By the end of August, six areas of Scotland – including the Tweed – were placed under Significant Water Scarcity, SEPA’s highest level of alert.
Just days later, after a short spell of rain, SEPA lifted restrictions on the Lower River Tweed and its tributaries. Although flows remain low, critical scarcity restrictions cannot be re-imposed immediately, as SEPA typically requires around 30 days of monitoring before a river can be declared at critical scarcity again.
The abrupt shift from “critical scarcity” to “business as usual” highlights the challenge of balancing short-term rainfall with long-term water management. How can more than 30 days of severe depletion appear to be “reset” by just a few days of rain, particularly when SEPA has reported that every month of 2025 has been drier than average on Scotland’s east coast?
There is an urgent need for a credible, long-term strategy for managing Scotland’s water resources. Questions have been raised about the Scottish Government’s overarching plan and Scottish Water’s investment in storage, resilience, and natural catchment management. The current approach appears reactive, with intermittent measures rather than a sustained, systematic framework to support communities, farmers, and the environment.
The mismatch between current investment and long-term needs leaves Scotland exposed to risk. While progress has been made, spending remains below what is required to ensure long-term resilience. Unless the Scottish Government and Scottish Water develop and implement comprehensive, catchment-scale infrastructure and restoration plans, Scotland may continue to experience cycles of water stress followed by temporary relief.
This raises key questions:
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Robustness of water resource management: Why does policy swing so rapidly between extremes instead of following a long-term resilience plan?
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Investment and infrastructure: The adequacy of Scottish Government and Scottish Water investment in water resource infrastructure and natural catchment management. Are enough measures in place to store, retain, and manage water sustainably in an era of climate volatility?
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Credibility of scarcity alerts: How reliable are restrictions if they can be lifted after just a few days of rain?
For the River Tweed, the River Tweed Commission has already expressed concerns about Atlantic salmon. Prolonged low flows threaten the survival of salmon returning from the sea to spawn by reducing their ability to migrate upstream, increasing predation risk, and leaving redds (nests) vulnerable once spawning begins. Lifting abstraction restrictions after brief rainfall risks compounding these pressures at a critical period in the salmon’s life cycle.
Jamie Stewart of the River Tweed Commission said:
"From critical scarcity to business as usual almost overnight – this isn’t water resource management, it’s wishful thinking. Short bursts of heavy rain can’t fix exhausted rivers; they simply gloss over the problem. We’re seeing a reactive, stop-go approach that serves no one – not farmers, not communities, and certainly not the environment."
Scotland urgently requires a coherent, long-term strategy that prioritises ecological resilience and sustainable water use – backed by sustained investment in infrastructure and catchment-scale restoration. Without this, we are putting our rivers, communities, and one of Scotland’s most iconic species at risk.
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River Tweed Commission
The River Tweed Commission is the statutory body responsible for the protection and improvement of salmon and freshwater fisheries in the River Tweed District. Its work includes managing and enforcing fishery laws, monitoring fish stocks, and working with stakeholders to safeguard the long-term health of the river and its tributaries.
Image: Cumledge Bridge, River Whiteadder, Tweed Tributary, taken by Ronald Richardson 9th September 2025.
