New Targets for Scotland's Water

The first river basin management plans, compiled by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), set out how the Scottish Government, SEPA and all Scotland's other responsible authorities and public bodies will protect and further improve our water environment in the future.

The water environment in Scotland has fewer environmental problems than most other parts of the UK, with good water quality in many areas. However, a healthy water environment is about more than just how clean the water is. We must also be concerned with the impacts of our activities on the quantity of water, the natural form of beds, banks and shores and the impact of non-native invasive species. Taking all of these into account, 63% of Scotland's rivers, lochs, reservoirs, canals, estuaries, coasts and groundwaters are already in good or better condition. The plans set out how we will improve that figure and bring 97% of Scotland's water bodies up to 'good' status by 2027.

SEPA Chief Executive Campbell Gemmell said: "SEPA and its predecessor organisations have driven major improvements in Scotland's water quality over the past few decades. The fact that Scotland's water is already amongst the best in Europe is something to be celebrated, as is the number of water bodies already of good or better status. The task now is to build on this and meet our target of 97% of water bodies achieving good or better status by 2027. Sustainable management of the water environment is vital for our economy and our quality of life. It is also important in helping us adapt to the impacts of climate change.

"A wide range of stakeholders worked with SEPA to develop these plans, including business representatives, land managers, voluntary organisations and individuals with an interest in the water environment, and their feedback has been a crucial part of this work.

"The resulting plans, which we submitted to the Minister today, contain ambitious but realistic targets that we must strive to meet to ensure we can all continue to enjoy the benefits of a healthy and sustainable water environment."

Read the available river basin management plans (two plans since Scotland is covered by two river basin districts) online. For more information visit the SEPA website.