Water watch ongoing for rivers

MORE rivers are on the brink of water scarcity, including five in Dumfries and Galloway. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s (SEPA) weekly water scarcity report shows that the Rivers Esk, Annan, Nith, Dee and Cree are approaching trigger levels based their on river levels, groundwater and soil moisture. Rainfall data underlines how long this situation has been building as recent showers were short lived and patchy, often missing the catchments that needed rain most, and on very dry ground intense rain tends to run off rather than soak in - limiting recharge of rivers and groundwater. This coupled with the warm, sunny spring and summer has left rivers, soils and groundwater under pressure. Kenny Boag, SEPA’s head of environmental performance, yesterday said: “Some rivers in Scotland are days away from the point where restrictions may be needed to protect the environment. “We are speaking directly to licence holders, so no one should be caught off guard. If you abstract water from the environment, you should already have plans in place. “Reduce volumes where you can, stagger abstractions and make sure you are following the conditions of your licence.”