Water
Scotland’s water environments are places of clean, cold lochs
and vibrant rivers that provide sources of drinking
water, habitat for fish, birds and other animals, a focus
for leisure and recreation and important resources for many
industries. SEPA helps protect and improve Scotland’s
wetlands, rivers, lochs, estuaries, coastal waters and groundwater
through regulation, monitoring and planning.
SEPA is the flood warning authority for Scotland and we work
with other organisations to manage flood risk. Our hydrologists
monitor water levels so that we can warn you in the likelihood of a
flood. Contact Floodline for 24 hour information about any flood
alerts in Scotland, England and Wales. Speak to one of our
telephone operators and they will provide immediate practical
advice.
Scotland is blessed with some of the most beautiful beaches in
the world, and SEPA provides annual reports on the quality of
Scotland’s bathing waters. Complying with the European Community
(EC) Bathing Water Directive, we also work closely with other
organisations to reduce the risk of urban and rural pollution in
our coastal and inland bathing waters.
SEPA regulates activities which impact on the water environment.
These include activities such as discharges to groundwater,
discharges to surface water, abstractions, removal of sediments and
replacement of weirs. More on the regulation of these activities
can be found using the menu on the left.