Water

SEPA is responsible for implementing the following directives in Scotland:

• The Water Framework Directive
  A wide-ranging and ambitious piece of European environmental legislation, which became law in Scotland at the end of 2003 through the Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003 (WEWS Act).
  
  
• Bathing Waters
  Perhaps the best known water directive, setting limits on indicator bacteria concentrations in seawater at 80 identified bathing waters in Scotland.
  
  
• Shellfish Waters
  Protecting coastal waters in order to support shellfish.
  
  
• Dangerous Substances and its 'daughter' directives
  Setting concentration limits in fresh and marine waters for trace metal and trace organic substances. The more hazardous and persistent are known as List I (eg hexachlorobutadiene, chloroform, cadmium) and the less serious are known as List II (eg zinc, lead).
  
  
• Nitrates
  Controlling the pollution of controlled waters by excess use of fertilisers on agricultural land.
  
  
• Freshwater Fisheries
  Requiring compliance with certain standards to protect waters designated to support healthy fish populations.
  
  
• Urban Waste Water Treatment
  Setting timetables for the implementation of appropriate treatment for sewage discharges. For sizeable communities, this may require secondary treatment, unless the discharge is to highly dispersive, receiving waters. It also specifies thorough regulation in terms of sampling and analysis.
  
  
• Exchange of Information on the Quality of Surface Freshwaters
  A monitoring programme on the rivers Spey, Almond and Leven, with annual reporting on a suite of parameters.
  
  
• Protection of Groundwater
  Preventing pollution of groundwater by List I and List II substances.
  

Following the second and third North Sea Conferences, the UK undertook to monitor for Red List substances (eg pentachlorophenol, mercury) and to reduce their release to the aqueous environment by prescribed amounts (generally 50%) over a 10-year period relative to a 1985 baseline. The Paris Convention agreement requires annual loadings to be quantified from all sources, including rivers and discharges, for a range of parameters, including nitrogen and phosphorus.