Scottish Water is warning over ongoing risks to Tayside water supplies from ongoing low reservoir levels – the water company is calling on customers in the Dundee and Tayside area to continue to save water in homes and gardens.
Photo: Backwater Reservoir
Despite recent rain across Scotland, reservoirs that serve Dundee and its surrounding areas are 40% below average for this time of year.
Scottish Water is calling on customers in the Dundee and Tayside area to continue to save water in homes and gardens – despite recent rain across Scotland.
The utility is asking people to use less water to help protect water resources and maintain normal supplies after new figures showed that levels at the Loch of Lintrathen and Backwater reservoir, which serve about 300,000 people, are still well below average.
The areas served by this reservoir system include; Dundee, parts of Angus and parts of Perth and Kinross.
This makes the system a critical water source for both urban and rural communities in eastern Scotland.
Recent statistics show that reservoirs in the east are approximately 55% full which compared to an 82% average at this time of the year is concerning.
Graph showing water levels
Despite rainfall through the second half of September, Met Office data for the East region shows the region had the driest year (September 2024-September 2025) since 1973 and the 11th driest start to the year in 190 years.
If these trends continue, Scottish Water is concerned that the winter and spring refill will not replenish levels enough, leading to greater water supply challenges next year.
Scottish Water has a drought incident team in place to maintain water supplies, should we have a further dry winter. Tactics range from moving water between systems, taking water from additional sources such as the river Isla or groundwater from boreholes, continued leakage reduction, raw water leakage investigations and agreeing a reduction in compensation flows with SEPA. Additionally, Scottish Water has an extensive community engagement plan, asking customers to play a part.
John Griffen, Scottish Water’s water operations general manager, said:
“Despite some recent rainfall, the current challenge dates back to last winter which didn’t provide the recovery to our reservoir levels we had hoped.
“We’re working hard to maintain normal supplies for all customers, however if we have another relatively dry winter and spring, we could face more serious supply challenges next summer. We need everyone to do their bit.
“We’re asking our customers to use water as efficiently as possible to help us protect what is – even in Scotland - a precious natural resource.”
The water company points out that individually, customers in Scotland are using an average of 178 litres of water per person per day, which is higher than in England and Wales where people use an average of 137 litres per person per day.
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