Scottish Water have asked us to share the following message with our customers:
Following the driest start to the year across Scotland since 1964, we are asking customers to use water wisely and cut back on non-essential use.
Water levels in reservoirs have fallen to an average of 77% this week, 13% below the average for this time of year and 16% below levels this time last year. Scottish Water is continuously monitoring the levels of storage throughout the country to maintain supplies. Although demand for water has reduced by about 60 million litres per day after our request last week, it is still at elevated levels.
There is some rain forecast for this coming weekend, however it will take a sustained period of rain to recover to normal levels. In the meantime Scottish Water is working to ensure it can maintain public water supply to customers in parts of the country affected by increased peak water use and is using tankers to supplement normal water supplies in some areas such as: Gullane, Aberlady in East Lothian; areas north of Aberdeen such as Potterton, Middleton Park, and Belhelvie; Maybole, Turnberry and Maidens in South Ayrshire; Kippen and Balfron in west Stirlingshire; and the Strathpeffer area in Ross-shire. We are also taking other action in some parts of the country including supplementing borehole supplies from the River Spey by pumping water directly from the river to maintain normal supplies in Moray.
Alex Plant, Scottish Water’s Chief Executive, said: “We’re working hard to maintain normal supplies for all customers and would ask that they use water efficiently to protect this precious resource. “Scotland’s climate is clearly changing and, as a country, we need to ensure we adapt both by investing appropriately in water infrastructure – which Scottish Water is doing – and ensuring we do what we can to use water more efficiently in our homes and businesses.”