• About us
• Air
• Climate change
• Flooding
• Land
• Planning
• Radioactive substances
• Waste
• Water
• Bathing waters
• Diffuse pollution
• Hydropower
• Marine Science
• Monitoring and classification
• Protected areas
• Restoration fund
• River basin planning
• Scotland
• Solway Tweed
• National Advisory Group
• Area Advisory Groups
• Argyll and Lochaber
• Clyde
• Forth
• North East Scotland
• AMP introduction
• Condition and objectives
• Actions planned
• North Highland
• Orkney and Shetland
• Solway
• Tay
• Tweed
• West Highland
• Area Advisory Group forums
• Fish and Fisheries AG
• How we work with others
• DP Priority catchments
• Significant issues
• Waterbody Data Sheets
• Diffuse pollution MAG
• River levels
• Water regulation
• Water publications
• External links
• Science and research
• Customer information...
• SEPA Kids

The water environment and achieving environmental improvements

This section summarises the condition of the water environment in the north-east advisory group area, the improvements we plan to achieve and the key pressures and impacts that we need to address.

In general, the classification of surface water bodies describes by how much their ecological condition, or status, differs from near natural conditions. Water bodies in a near natural condition are at high ecological status. Those whose ecological quality been severely damaged are at bad ecological status.

Catchment level summaries which detail the condition of the water environment, the improvements we plan to achieve and the key pressures and impacts that we need to address are included in catchment profiles. The catchment profiles will be produced between May and November 2010.

Information on the classification, objectives and measures for the Scotland river basin district, as well as detailed supplementary information on how we classify and how objectives have been set, can be found in the Scotland plan. Information on individual water bodies can be accessed through the RBMP interactive map application on SEPA’s website.

The current condition of the water environment

The water environment includes all rivers, lochs, estuaries, coastal waters, artificial waters (such as canals and reservoirs) and groundwater. It also includes all the wetlands that depend on surface waters or groundwater for their water needs.

The environmental quality and natural characteristics of surface waters and groundwater vary widely. To reflect this variation, SEPA has divided these waters into 365 water bodies in the north-east area. Classifying the condition of each water body provides a picture of where the water environment is in good condition and where improvements need to be made. The results show that 50% of water bodies in the north-east area are at good or high ecological status (see Table 2 and Maps 2a-b below).

In north-east Scotland, 13 surface water bodies have been substantially changed in character for important purposes such as flood protection, hydropower generation, navigation, land drainage, or water storage for drinking water supply. These are known as heavily modified water bodies (HMWBs), and are assessed and classified differently, based on their ecological potential. This is a measure of the extent to which each water body’s ecological quality has been maximised given the limits imposed by the physical modifications necessary for its use. For more information on heavily modified and artificial water bodies see Chapter 4 of the Scotland river basin district plan^[1].

The classification of groundwater bodies describes whether or not they are polluted and whether or not the volume of any water being abstracted from them is sustainable without significant impacts on rivers or wetlands that depend on the groundwater. Unlike the five status classes applying to surface waters, two classes are used to describe the status of groundwater: good and poor.

Map 2a: Current condition of surface and coastal water bodies in north-east Scotland (click for larger image)

Map 2b: Current condition of groundwaters in Scotland (click for larger image)

Pressures and risks

The main reasons for not achieving good ecological status are described as pressures. The most significant pressures affecting north-east Scotland are:

• Nutrient enrichment, predominantly from agricultural land use and sewage disposal. In the north-east, this is a particular issue for agricultural catchments.
  
• Abstraction and impoundment for drinking water supply, irrigation, hydropower generation and industries such as distilling. In the north-east, abstraction pressures are a particular issue for the Deveron and Spey catchments, relating to drinking water supply, hydropower generation and whisky production.
  
• Alterations to beds, banks and shores such as barriers to fish passage, culverting, straightening and channelisation. This can be due to agriculture, forestry, urban development and historical activities. These pressures are spread across all catchments in the north-east, with fish barriers being identified as a particular issue within the Spey, Dee, Deveron and Don catchments.

The above list does not include all impacts, and there are other issues that will also need to be addressed through river basin management planning. For example, recording the presence of invasive non native species and implementing the work outlined in the invasive non-native species implementation plan at a local level will be part of the group work plan in the future^[3].

Detailed information on impacts in each catchment is included in the catchment profiles and in the water body information files.

Objectives for the water environment

The water environment of north-east Scotland has improved significantly over the past twenty years. The task now is to build on this achievement: the overall goal of the Scotland river basin management plan is for 98% of water bodies to be at good or high ecological status by 2027. In the north-east area we aim to move from the current position of 50% of water bodies at good or high ecological status, to 98% by 2027. To achieve that, all water bodies must be protected from deterioration, while action will be taken to improve those that are at less than good ecological status. Restoring waters to good ecological status will take time, so improvements have been prioritised over the periods 2009–2015, 2015–2021 and 2021–2027. For the small proportion of waters for which achieving good ecological status by 2027 is not feasible^[4], all reasonably achievable improvements will be made.

Comprehensive reviews of progress will be undertaken during each period and will be reported in updates of this plan.

Table 3 describes how improvements to the water environment will be phased, and Maps 3 and 4 show the location of such improvements. The phasing has been designed so that the pace of improvement provides the time needed to develop and implement the necessary solutions and to make the required investments and adjustments without creating disproportionate financial burdens.                                                                                                       

Extended deadlines for achieving good ecological status

For seven water bodies in the north-east advisory group area, we believe that good ecological status cannot be achieved by 2027. We have set extended deadlines for such water bodies.

Four water bodies in the upper Dee catchment (Geldie Burn, River Dee from White Bridge to Braemar, River Muick from Allt an Dubh Loch and River Dee from source to White Bridge) have extended deadlines because their water quality is affected by acid deposition. The time needed for water bodies affected by acid deposition to recover is difficult to predict but, because of natural conditions, is likely to be beyond 2027.

Three lochs (Skene, Strathbeg and Kinord) have extended deadlines because of nutrient enrichment. In lochs, the rate at which the natural balance of water plants and animals can re-establish itself once nutrient pollution has been addressed is slow. Because of this naturally slow recovery rate, it is estimated that these three lochs may not reach good ecological status until after 2027.

Map 3: Planned improvements for surface waters, 2015-2027 (click for larger image)

Map 4: Planned improvements for groundwaters, 2015-2027 (click for larger image)

Protected areas

Many water bodies are also part of protected areas. The objectives for these include any additional protection needed to achieve the purposes for which the protected area was established. Protected areas include waters that:

• have been designated as bathing waters;
  
• provide water for human consumption;
  
• support species or habitats identified as requiring special protection under European legislation (please see http://www.snh.gov.uk/  for more information on individual protected areas).

Many protected areas are already achieving the goals for which they were established. The objective for these areas is to protect them from deterioration. Further environmental improvements are needed for other areas that are currently not meeting their objectives. Planned improvements to these protected areas are summarised in Table 4 below.

In addition:

• Two of the 76 Drinking Water Protected Areas in north-east Scotland are currently listed as being at risk of deterioration. These are in the Ugie and Deveron catchments, and the risks relate to diffuse pollution from arable and livestock farming. Measures have been introduced or planned to secure the protection of the quality of water abstracted from these areas.
  
• A substantial area of north-east Scotland is designated as the Moray, Aberdeenshire/Banff and Buchan Nitrate Vulnerable Zone. An action programme has been established, aiming to reduce water pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources and to prevent further such pollution. The action programme will be reviewed and, where necessary, revised every four years based on assessment of its effectiveness.
  
• Six rivers are designated as freshwater fish areas (the Ugie, Ythan, Bervie, Dee, Deveron and Don), and all are meeting required standards. The Freshwater Fish Directive is due to be repealed in 2013, and the protection of economically important fish will be then be achieved by protecting and improving the status of water bodies.

2. More information on the classification of heavily modified water bodies can be found in Chapter 4 of the RBMP for the Scotland river basin district.

3. Bodies of groundwater are classed as either good status or poor status.

4. Further information on invasive non native species can be found in the River basin management plan for the Scotland river basin district. Information on this pressure is improving, and a national implementation plan is being prepared.

5. Such as lochs that are recovering from acidification or the effects of nutrient enrichment.