« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
Water
River Water Quality: 1999-2005
Length (kilometres)
Classification3 | 1999 | 2000 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
|---|
Poor | 1,078 | 854 | 751 | 717 | 724 |
|---|
Seriously polluted | 91 | 73R | 53 | 51 | 52 |
|---|
Unclassified | - | 12,816 | 5,903 | 3,807 | 2,126 |
|---|
Total length of network | 25,382 | 25,455 | 25,436 | 25,434 | 25,429 |
|---|
Low standards of river water quality may threaten the aquatic environment, drinking water quality and recreational water use. Sewage, industry, urban development and agriculture are some of the factors that may affect river water quality.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency ( SEPA) has established a Digitised River Network (DRN) to classify about 25,000km of the approximately 100,000km of rivers and burns in Scotland. The DRN comprises those watercourses draining a catchment of 10km 2 or more. Rivers are classified as excellent, good, fair, poor or seriously polluted according to measures of chemical, biological, nutrient and aesthetic quality. Between 2000 and 2005 the length of 'unclassified' river fell by 83% to 2,126 km.
Between 1999 and 2005, the length of poor and seriously polluted rivers in Scotland fell by 34% to 776km. SEPA has set a target of a reduction of 351km in poor and seriously polluted rivers for the period 1999-2006. 4 Poor biological and nutrient quality are the most frequent reasons for classifying rivers as poor or seriously polluted.
SOURCE: SCOTTISH ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AGENCY 5
« Previous | Contents | Next »