The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has published its latest Annual Report covering the period 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000. The Report shows that while real environmental improvements are being made in Scotland, there are a number of areas of concern, particularly in relation to the water environment.

Good news stories

• in terms of air quality, emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide from large industries like electricity generation, oil refining and manufacturing have reduced significantly since 1996
  
  
• the publication by SEPA of the National Waste Strategy - Scotland in December 1999 marked a major milestone on the way to finding more environmentally and economically sustainable ways of dealing with the 12 million tonnes of waste produced in Scotland each year
  
  
• the 1999 bathing waters season was one of the best on record for passing EC bathing water quality standards
  

Concerns

• emissions from traffic in urban areas are having a significant impact on air quality in Scotland, and global issues such as climate change, acidification and depletion of stratospheric ozone are causing concern
  
  
• although there was some overall river quality improvement there are local problems in some rural areas, the causes of which SEPA is still investigating, and in urban areas, where better drainage systems are required
  
  
• the quality of coastal waters deteriorated in 1999, although much of this can be attributed to SEPA's monitoring and analysis, which has become more sophisticated. Nonetheless, the results are disappointing, and pollution incidents have contributed to the problem
  
  
• compared to 1998-9, there was no significant drop in the number of pollution incidents SEPA investigated. The single most common source was sewage pollution and this will not improve until the Water Authorities' major investment programmes are completed
  
  
• the second most common source was pollution by oil. SEPA is pressing the Scottish Executive for new regulations to allow SEPA to enforce minimum standards for oil storage.
  
  

SEPA Chairman Ken Collins said:

"We as a society are making ever greater demands on the environment while at the same time demanding increasingly higher standards of environmental quality. The issues with which SEPA has to grapple are complex, not least those, like climate change, which are on a global rather than just a Scottish scale."

Tricia Henton, SEPA's new Chief Executive added:

"SEPA has made a considerable contribution to waste issues during the year 1999-2000, and we increased our effectiveness in regulating radioactive substances and local air quality. However, water quality issues are causing me concern, and I recognise that we will have to devote considerable management effort and focus to achieve the water quality improvement objectives we have set ourselves."

ENDS

NOTES

The SEPA Annual Report 1999-2000 contains a great deal of information about these and other environmental issues, and includes details of SEPA's accounts and its own performance against its corporate targets.

The Report is available from the SEPA Public Relationsoffice, and on the SEPA Website: click here

Copies of other SEPA publications, including the National Waste Strategy - Scotland, and State of the Environment Reports on Water and Air are also available.