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1.5 Water usage
Scotland’s use of water has constantly changed in the past and will continue to do so in the future. Historically, water has been used as if it possessed an infinite capacity to handle waste. It is only in relatively recent times that that we have taken responsibility for the consequences of this use and delivered significant improvements through the application of pollution control legislation.
Water in Scotland is used for a wide range of purposes beyond the discharge of waste materials. SEPA has documented a range of impacts associated with abstractions, diffuse pollution, impoundments and physical changes to habitat in the Pressures and Impacts report. Until recently, less emphasis has been placed upon delivering improvements associated with these impacts; however, the new regulations which transpose the WFD will deliver major improvements to our management of these pressures.
Section 2 shows the scale of water use in Scotland by key sectors and describes the value of their water use. This information has been based upon an research and development (R&D)6 project and been linked to data from the parallel environmental pressures and impacts assessment process undertaken and finalised by SEPA and others during 20047.
A description linking the pressures and impacts to economic activity is provided in Section 3 and this examines the complexity of Scottish water bodies.
Information about the recovery of costs for water use in Scotland is described in Section 4. In setting environmental objectives we have to consider who will pay and how much it will cost. This will include a consideration and balance of which (prevention or remediation) is more beneficial to both the economy and to the environment.
In order to understand how water use will change over time we have commissioned research that suggests how the economy may change and how this activity will impact on water use from the present to 2015. Information on the projected changes in water use can be found in Section 5 and on the SEPA website8. This information will be used to inform decision-makers about how pressures are expected to change over time and enable them to develop appropriate policies and plans to appropriately manage such changes.
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