Water Resource Management

The management of water resources in Scotland is likely to face significant challenges due to the impact of climate change.

Without adequate planning and adaptation many of these impacts will be negative from increased flooding to drought to reduced water quality. Scottish water, SEPA and the local authorities will all have a big role to play to ensure that these challenges are met, however other sectors such as agriculture and business & industry may also need to adapt to take account of the risks associated with climate change and water resource management.

The key opportunities and risks to the water resource management sector from climate change are outlined below.

Key Impacts

More frequent and severe river flooding and coastal flooding
Increased likelihood of summer droughts, leading to river water quality problems and disruption of water supply.
Limitation to abstract any supply of water taken from the natural environment practices- restrictions on water use
High intensity rainfall causing destruction to river habitat.
Increased erosion the removal of soil or rocks by water or wind
Higher sea level, increased wave height leading to coastal erosion and loss of habitat.
Periods of reduced river flow, providing less dilution for discharges and increased sewage treatment costs.
Increased treatment costs to provide water supplies.
Increased run-off impacting on bathing water quality.
Enhanced plant/algal growth due to increased temperature.
Increase run-off increasing nutrient loading in water.
Decrease in water quality due to increase in flooding and erosion and lack of flow – potential public health issues
Threats to ecological quality of water bodies
Service Demands Domestic demand – drinking, watering garden Business demand – industry change?
Agriculture cropping trends – impact on sources?
Network performance – flushing of sewers
Asset performance – temperature impacts?
Odour impacts – dry season?

Key Opportunities

Innovative infrastructure such as Sustainable Uraban Drainage Systems (SUDS) have the potential to not only provide solutions to water resource management but also have a significant role to play in enhancing the natural environment through the creation of green spaces and habitat network.

What’s happening?

Scotland’s Climate Change Adaptation Framework Water Resource Management Sector Action Plan

A Water Resource Management sector action plan is included within Scotland’s Climate Change Adaptation Framework. The plan provides an overview of the broad range of work that will be undertaken over the coming years to strengthen resilience of the sector to the impacts of climate change. This plan will evolve and will be frequently updated.

Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009

The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 transposes the EC Floods Directive into national law and streamlines the process by which local authorities prepare flood schemes. It also places a duty on the Scottish Government, SEPA, Scottish Water and local authorities to better co-ordinate the assessment and management of flood risk and covers all sources of flooding, including overloaded sewers. The Act introduced a more sustainable modern approach to flood risk management, supporting adaptation to the impact of climate change.

In addition SEPA will be required to carry out a national assessment of flood risk by 2011, produce new flood risk and hazard maps by 2013 and put in place Scotland's first national flood risk management plan by 2015.

Scottish Water

Scottish Water’s adaptation strategy is to secure a service to customers that is resilient to climate change. Activities will include investing in strategic studies to understand the extent to which services will be impacted, developing necessary tools to integrate climate models into investment planning, and using these outputs to deliver a resilient service either by investing to adapt the asset base or making operational changes to increase resilience.

Metropolitan Glasgow Strategic Drainage Plan

Following major flooding metropolitan Glasgow area in 2002, a partnership comprising Scottish Water, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Enterprise and Glasgow City Council are working to tackle the issues of drainage and sewerage in the city. Over the next 25 years it is hoped that this project will see major investment and effort to ensure that metropolitan Glasgow’s drainage network can cope with a changing climate among other challenges.

More Information

RISE (Research Information Service for Flood Risk Management)