About the Flood Map
Before you use the Flood Map, please note that it has been developed to give an indication of whether a general area, not individual properties or specific location, may be affected by flooding from rivers or the sea.
The Flood Map shows the possible extent of flooding from these sources and is an important strategic tool for managing flood risk, primarily focusing on the 200 year flood event (an event with a 0.5% chance of occurring any year) in line with Scottish Planning Policy (SPP). Identification of these areas allows planning authorities to make informed decisions concerning the location of new developments.
The flood extents shown in the Flood Map are also a key underlying dataset in the National Flood Risk Assessment (NFRA). The NFRA provides a national summary of the sources and impacts of flooding which takes account of all sources of flooding and the effects of climate change.
Why we’ve produced the Flood Map
The Flood Map was produced by SEPA to provide a Scotland wide picture of the areas estimated to be exposed to flooding from rivers and/or the sea. The Flood Map provides a national assessment of the extent of flooding which may be experienced from rivers and/or the sea. As such, it helps raise awareness and encourages both individuals and organisations to take appropriate action.
Following the publication of the National Flooding Framework in March 2000, for which SEPA was consulted, the Scottish Executive commissioned SEPA to create a Flood Map. This web version of the resulting dataset is intended to raise public awareness of flood risk, and, if appropriate, encourage people to take action with a view to reducing the risk to themselves, their property and possessions.
The Flood Map enables local authorities to take a more proactive, plan-led approach to flood risk management. By being aware of the land at risk of flooding and commissioning more detailed flood risk assessments as appropriate, authorities can develop their avoidance, alleviation and assistance strategies to better manage flood risk through their planning, flood prevention and emergency planning functions, together with SEPA’s flood warning role.
It will help local authorities and others to understand flood risk when considering where new homes, businesses and other developments should be built. It also supports Scottish Planning Policy 
Local authorities have had access to an indicative flood map since 1999 (produced by the Centre of Ecology and Hydrology) to help them make planning decisions. SEPA's Flood Map provides more complete and up to date information than was available in the previous map.
The map does not provide enough detail to show the definitive flood risk to individual properties.
Click here to view the Flood Map.
How the Flood Map was developed
To develop the Flood Map we used techniques accepted as standard by the flood management industry. These model the landform, then simulate what may happen if river and coastal waters were to flood, thus producing an indicative flood outline. The map shows those areas estimated to have a 0.5% or greater chance of flooding each year. This is the probability used in Scottish Planning Policy for planning purposes.
Using a computer to model the flooding from a river enables us to estimate the probability of a flood occurring for any part of a river regardless of whether or not there are records to show there has been a flood there before (although recorded information of an actual flood is likely to provide a more accurate indication of the exact areas at risk). This means that very large and rare floods can be estimated and the areas at risk identified.
The modelling methods used are one of a number of different techniques that can be used to produce a flood map. Other techniques may produce slightly different results. The most appropriate ones for a large Scotland-wide flood map were chosen.
If you are interested in the more technical information about the methodologies used to develop the Flood Map, click here (1.1mb pdf).
What the Flood Map doesn’t show
Modelling at this scale means it can be difficult to accurately represent
- urban areas where the effects of complex surface drainage systems may affect a flood
- areas which are forested or where there is a lot of vegetation
- the effect that bridges and other structures such as culverts (where a river flows underground) may have on a flood
The Flood Map does not show flooding from very small burns i.e. where the area draining to the river is less than 3km2.
We have made every effort to improve the modelled Flood Map where appropriate. Where we have better or more detailed information for a particular area, we have merged this information with the 0.5% or greater probability flood risk outline.
This Flood Map cannot replace site specific studies at a local scale.
Click here to view the Flood Map.
Updating the Flood Map
The Flood Map will be updated at suitable intervals to incorporate any new flood information (such as information from a recent flood, or more specific information about the flood risk to an area).
Flood Defences
Historically, flood risk management and flood prevention in Scotland was achieved in the main by the use of flood defences such as walls, culverts and embankments. Several organisations share the duties and responsibilities for flood risk management. SEPA is the lead flood warning authority and provides advice to local authorities on flood risk. It is local authorities who have the discretionary powers to prepare flood prevention schemes on non agricultural land, and have a duty to maintain urban rivers.
The construction of flood prevention schemes are therefore led by local authorities using legislation contained in The Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961 and as amended by The Flood Prevention and Land Drainage (Scotland) Act 1997.
- The Scottish Flood Defence Asset Database:
The Scottish Executive commissioned the compilation of detailed information on flood defence schemes, built under The Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961. The resulting database holds a record of the flood prevention schemes constructed by local authorities using the above legislation.
The Database brought together a wide range of detailed information for each of the local authority flood prevention schemes.
Please click here to access the Scottish Flood Defence Asset Database.
- What flood defence information is shown on the SEPA web pages?
The flood defence information shown on the website is a summary of the information created in the Scottish Executive project, and indicates the type of flood defences and where they are located.
The Flood Map may show some areas at risk when in fact they benefit from existing flood defences.
On the web pages you can see the locations of the defences. For a number of schemes, you can also zoom in further to see information about the elements that make up the scheme (such as walls, gates, pumps and embankments) and an indication of the area benefiting from the scheme is also provided where it has been estimated. (This information is not available for all schemes.) The area benefiting from a scheme is the area that is protected by the scheme relative to the maximum flood for which the scheme can function. But it must be remembered that a larger flood may overtop or swamp the defences leading to flooding.
Details of the scheme name, local authority responsible for it, standard of protection and a brief description of the scheme itself are shown in the look up tables. Use the scheme reference number shown on the map to look up the scheme name and additional information for each scheme in the table linked from the bottom of the flood defences legend.
SEPA does not hold any additional information on flood defences.
Please contact the responsible local authority for more information or queries regarding particular flood defences.