The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are calling on Scots to have their say on the future of the nation’s water environment.

SEPA has launched a public consultation, Safeguarding Scotland's Water Environment, about what it calls Significant Water Management Issues – issues that are having a significant adverse impact on the condition of the water environment and that it seeks to tackle.  

The consultation is open until 3 March 2026.  A Word version of the consultation is therefor provided on the consultation website - Safeguarding Scotland’s Water Environment.

The water environment is one of Scotland’s most precious natural assets. It supports a rich diversity of wildlife, contributes to people’s health and wellbeing and provides for the sustainable growth of Scotland’s economy.  

Water experts at the agency have identified seven key focus areas for the next six-year water management cycle:  

• rural diffuse pollution (the release of potential pollutants from a range of activities such as agricultural run-off) 
• the physical condition of rivers 
• artificial barriers to fish migration (physical modifications to rivers built for water storage, navigation, water abstraction and crossings for road and rail transport) 
• sea lice from marine fish farms 
• water use (ensuring our water resources are resilient to a changing climate and managed within environmental limits)  
• wastewater and sewer networks 
• chemicals in the water environment