Consultation on significant water management issues in the Scotland and the Solway Tweed river basin districts
The Water Framework Directive established new and better ways of protecting and improving water environment, with the overall objective of achieving co-ordinated and integrated water management across Europe. One of the Directive’s requirements is the publication of an interim overview of the significant water management issues in each river basin district. This overview builds on the work described in our earlier characterisation report and is an intermediate step in the preparation of the river basin management plan for Scotland.
This consultation document provides you with an opportunity to contribute to the river basin planning process in the Scotland river basin district. It seeks your views and opinions on the significant water management issues for the river basin district. A similar document prepared with the Environment Agency is available for the Solway Tweed river basin district.
The main focus of this report is the identification of the significant water management issues that SEPA think puts their ability to achieve the environmental objectives of the Water Framework Directive most at risk. The most common problems affecting aquatic environments are pollution, abstraction and modifications to the physical habitat. However it is also important to consider the increasing pressure from the presence of invasive alien species.
Both consultations will close on Tuesday, 8 April 2008.
Further information about the Scotland river basin district is available from: http://www.sepa.org.uk