SCOTCH distillers in one of the country’s most prominent whisky areas have been hit with restrictions amid warnings that water levels are "critically low".
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said on Monday that it had been forced to issue a “Significant Scarcity” warning for two further areas following a period of dry weather, bringing the total number in Scotland up to eight.
The Lower Spey and Berwickshire catchments have both been moved up to the high-level warning, joining the Upper Don, Lower Don, Lower Tweed, North Fife, Ythan, and Deveron.
Sepa said the move followed “months of below-average rainfall that has left rivers at critically low levels”.
It added: “Heavy rain did fall in parts of Scotland over the weekend, with Flood Alerts issued, but it did not reach the areas where it was most needed.
“Even where showers were heavy, they have done little to reverse months of dry conditions.”
The escalation means restrictions for water abstractors. Sepa said it would be issuing notices to the farmers and Scotch whisky distilleries affected, adding: “These restrictions will be lifted as soon as possible, but they are essential to protect the long-term health of our rivers.”
Sepa further said it had officers checking in on the restrictions already in place, with “good compliance” reported to date.
David Harley, the head of water and planning for Sepa, said: “With two more areas moving to Significant Scarcity there are now eight catchments across Scotland at the highest level.
“The science is clear; months of below average rainfall have left rivers at critically low flows. Restrictions are not optional – they're essential to safeguard our environment.
“We have been warning about the risk of water scarcity since the spring, and communicating with abstractors for several months now, so it’s not surprising that we’ve had to issue further restrictions.
“We know this is a challenging time, but we're encouraged by the good levels of compliance we're seeing on the ground.
“People realise that taking action now is vital to protect Scotland’s rivers and support their recovery when wetter conditions return.”
Sepa warned that further river catchments in the east are “around a week away” from reaching the trigger for “Significant Scarcity”.
