BUSINESSES in the Scottish Borders will be restricted from extracting water from local sources as the area hits "significant water scarcity" levels.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has introduced temporary restrictions on water abstraction in the Whiteadder Water and Berwickshire areas after prolonged dry conditions.
The restriction will impact 23 licenses, most of which are attributed to agricultural, golfing, or distilling businesses.
The agency has said that it is unsure, based on current data, if rainfall expected over the weekend will be enough to allow the area to recover, warning that other surrounding areas could be impacted next week.
It is understood that the Lower Tweed, Lunan Water, Lower Don, Fife (East Neuk), and North Fife are approaching "significant water scarcity" levels and will hit this next week if river flows do not recover.
Significant water scarcity is declared when river flows remain below the recognised threshold in hydrological research, which uses the lowest 5% of recorded flows over a long-term period to set a benchmark for scarcity.
When river flows remain below this threshold for a sustained period, the risk of harm to rivers and the wildlife that depends on them increases, triggering temporary restrictions on licensed water abstraction.
Shona McConnell, Sepa's head of compliance, said: "River flows in the Whiteadder Water and Berwickshire area have now remained below the recognised Q95 low flow threshold for 30 consecutive days.
"At this point, the risk to aquatic life and the wider river environment becomes significant, which is why these temporary restrictions are now required."
"We've been warning about water scarcity since May and have been working closely with abstractors and key partners throughout the summer to help them prepare for this possibility. These restrictions should not come as a surprise to those affected.
"Our officers will be out in the affected catchments, working directly with licence holders to help them understand and comply with the temporary restrictions and answer any questions they may have."
"While some rain is forecast over the coming days, recovery depends on sustained improvements in river flows rather than rainfall on a single day.
"We’ll continue to monitor conditions closely and lift restrictions as soon as conditions allow."
In Scotland there are four levels of scarcity, in addition to standard flow levels.
These include early warning, when conditions are drying but no immediate action is required and "alert", when voluntary restrictions are encouraged.
When levels hit moderate scarcity abstractors are asked to take action to prevent environmental damage, and significant scarcity permits Sepa to impose restrictions directly on licences.
