The latest weekly Water Scarcity Report (18-25 September) from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) shows that while conditions have eased in many parts of Scotland, eight catchments remain at the highest level of water scarcity.

Image source: SEPA Water Scarcity Report 25 September 2025

Two weeks ago 17 areas were classed at Significant Scarcity – according to SEPA, while this has now reduced to eight, reflecting the impact of recent rainfall, nevertheless the impacts of this year’s dry weather are not over.

David Harley, SEPA’s Head of Water and Planning, commented:

“While we are in an improved position than we were earlier this month, some rivers are still struggling and restrictions remain in place in these areas to protect the environment.

“This year we’ve had to impose restrictions on hundreds of licences, underlining the real impact water scarcity has on businesses. It isn’t just a summer inconvenience, 2025 has seen the earliest onset of scarcity in decades and rivers like the Spey have spent more days at low flow than ever before. That underlines how vulnerable parts of Scotland are becoming as our climate changes.

“Recovery will depend on above-average rainfall through the autumn and winter, but long-term resilience depends on how we plan, adapt, and change our relationship with water. Water is a precious resource, and building resilience to scarcity will be vital for our environment, our communities and our businesses.”

Orkney has now moved into Significant Scarcity after prolonged extremely low river flows, while rivers in the north-east, including the Avon, Lower Spey, Deveron, Ythan, South Ugie Water, Upper and Lower Don (Aberdeenshire) also remain under severe pressure. Temporary restrictions on some abstraction licences continue in these areas.

Further south rain has allowed some recovery, but key rivers still sit at Moderate Scarcity, indicating ongoing stress on river systems. The Findhorn East catchment now sits at Moderate, along with the rest of the Findhorn, the Spey, the Firth of Tay, Tyne (Lothian) and Thurso.

The Dee (Aberdeen) and Esk (Angus) have improved to Alert. Much of the rest of the country is now classed as Normal Conditions.

The environmental regulator says that this year’s water scarcity has had a significant impact on businesses. At its peak, SEPA introduced restrictions on around 270 abstraction licences to protect the environment, with measures affecting farmers, distilleries and other water-dependent industries. Restrictions remain in place in areas still at Significant Scarcity, meaning the difficulties are far from over for businesses in those areas. SEPA officers have been out in catchments monitoring conditions and supporting abstractors, with good compliance reported across the country.

Earliest low flows on record

SEPA analysis confirms that 2025 has been an unusual year for water scarcity, based on how early low flow conditions began.

The Lower Spey, for example, recorded the earliest low flow countdown in 70 years of data. Historically, low flow days in May have only been recorded on four occasions – with just two days in 1960, and three days each in 2017 and 2018. In contrast, May 2025 saw 27 days of low flow days, highlighting the early onset of conditions this year.

According to SEPA, the early and prolonged low flows show the scale of pressure on Scotland’s rivers. Short periods of rainfall prevented longer consecutive runs of scarcity, but the stress on the environment and water users has still been severe. With Autumn underway, higher-than-average rainfall throughout the coming months will be essential to replenish water resources and reverse the deficits built up over 2024 and 2025..

Click here to access the Water Scarcity Report 25 September 2025 online