The River Lossie has today been raised to Significant water scarcity following prolonged dry conditions and exceptionally low river flows. Temporary restrictions have now been issued on some licences to abstract water from the environment, to help protect river flows and the wildlife that depend on them.
The latest weekly water scarcity report from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) also shows conditions have been increasingly dry elsewhere across eastern Scotland. The Tyne (Lothian) and Findhorn remain at Moderate Scarcity. The River Esk has moved to Alert, while the Tay and Earn have both been raised to Early Warning.
Recent rainfall has continued to favour western Scotland, while eastern catchments and parts of Moray have remained much drier. This east-west contrast means river flows in many eastern catchments have continued to decline despite wetter conditions elsewhere and much of eastern Scotland is experiencing an increasing risk of water scarcity.
River flows on the Lossie have reached exceptional lows for the time of year. At Sheriffmills, June recorded the second-highest number of low-flow days in the station’s 63-year record, while the beginning of July saw the river’s lowest flows since 2003.
READ MORE: SEPA
