An economic analysis of water use in the Scotland river basin district

River basin districts will be the main areas used for co-ordinating the management of the water environment. They comprise individual river basins and their associated transitional waters, coastal waters and groundwaters. There are three river basin districts in Scotland: two shared with England (Solway-Tweed and Northumbria), and one entirely within Scotland. Map 1 below shows the Scottish river basin districts.

This report refers to the Scotland river basin district.

The Scotland river basin district (RBD) covers approximately 113,920 km², from Shetland in the north to Glasgow, Ayr and Edinburgh in the south. Around 4.8 million people live in the district, most in the central belt between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The number of people employed in the Scotland RBD is currently just under 2.2 million and is set to increase to over 2.2 million by 2015 on the back of forecast growth in output of 2.2% per year. The landscape is varied: from the mountainous Highlands, to the extensive, often fjordic, coastline of the west and the urban and industrial areas around Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The Highlands are mountain ranges of sandstone and granite, rising to Britain’s highest peak, Ben Nevis. Much of the Scottish uplands are characterised by large tracts of blanket bog which are more extensive in Scotland and Ireland than elsewhere in Europe. The oceanic climate and varied topography of the western Highlands and Islands give rise to a diverse and rich botany. The district supports important habitats and wildlife, including 235 water dependent Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas.

Overall, the district has fewer environmental problems than most others in the UK. However, there are still significant environmental problems in parts of the district, in particular around the larger population centres of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Although many large rivers and estuaries, such as the Clyde in the west and the Forth in the east, have seen marked improvements over the last 20 years, water quality problems remain. Land use in the north eastern part of the district is largely agricultural which can give rise to diffuse pollution problems.

The Scotland RBD, particularly in the west, has a relatively high rainfall in comparison with the rest of the UK. About 90% of water supplies come from surface waters, the remainder from groundwater. It is the largely clean environment of the district that attracts tourists and supports particular industrial sectors. For example, there are many excellent salmon rivers in the district and the generally clean and reliable water supply supports sectors such as fish farming and whisky manufacturers.