'Impact of climate change': Scottish reservoirs fell to lowest level since 1960s
Reservoirs across Scotland fell to their lowest levels in decades as the country experienced its driest period since the 1960s.
Figures produced by Scottish Water show that a lack of rain earlier this year and for much of the summer caused shortages not seen for more than fifty years.
The public utility said it faced “massive ongoing challenges” on water resources related to climate change and carried out significant investment in improvements to its infrastructure and services for customers.
The body has released its “Year of 2025 in Numbers,” detailing the impact drier weather had on services and how its customers responded.
Scottish Water said Scotland experienced its driest January-to-April period since 1964, which was the 15th driest in the past 190 years.
In the east, it experienced its driest January-to-August period since 1959 and the fifth driest in the past 190 years.
Specialised geological engineering on a peat bog (Image: SNS Group Bill Murray)
One of the reservoirs affected the most was Backwater in Tayside, where data shows it was the driest year since 1972–73.
Backwater reached its lowest recorded level in more than 40 years when storage was at 31.3% on October 30.
Two reservoirs in East Lothian – Watch Water and Hopes – also saw levels drop to their lowest recorded state in at least 30 years, falling to 40% and 43% respectively.
Lomond Hills reservoirs in Fife reached their lowest combined storage in at least 30 years when they were at 21%.
People in Scotland consumed more than 470 billion litres of water in 2025, in the midst of some of the driest weather in almost two centuries.
The statistics show that throughout the year, domestic and business customers across Scotland used a total of 472 billion litres of water – the equivalent of about 189,000 Olympic swimming pools or more than the total volume of water in Loch Earn and Loch Katrine combined.
The company said it worked hard to boost local supplies where needed, and one way it did so was by tankering water in – with a total of 3,933 vehicles deployed to the end of November.
An average capacity for a tanker is 24,000 litres, meaning the amount moved was equal to 94.3 million litres.
Scottish Water also faced challenges with wastewater in 2025, it said. It costs the company about £10m per year to clear chokes or blockages in sewers – often caused by flushing the wrong things down toilets, such as wet wipes and sanitary products.
The number of annual chokes ranges from about 34,000 to 36,000, and the average cost of clearing one is £297.
The council areas with the highest number of chokes in 2025 were Fife with 2,767, Glasgow with 2,753 and Highland with 2,344. The lowest was Orkney with 42.
Research this year showed that 85% of people think wipes containing plastic should be banned.
Scottish Water also highlighted improvements it has carried out, including the £235m provision of a two-way connection between the water networks in Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire, which will benefit one million customers.
Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy Gillian Martin MSP (R) and Scottish Water Chief Operating Officer Peter Farrer (L) at the Scottish Parliament, on December 10, 2025, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Image: Paul Devlin — SNS Group)
The utility also restored over 600 hectares of peatland in 2025 at various sites around Scotland, including the first phase of a major 400-hectare restoration project aimed at protecting water quality for over one million customers in the Greater Glasgow area.
Scottish Water’s network of 132 blue Top Up Taps across the country reached a milestone of having saved the equivalent of 20 million plastic bottles, and research this year showed that one-third of people in Scotland have used a Top Up Tap.
The busiest single day of usage across the Top Up Taps network was August 13, when the equivalent of 62,306 plastic bottles were saved. The busiest tap on that day was at Calderglen Park in East Kilbride, where 4,696 bottles were saved.
Scottish Water says it is continuing to invest in skills and opportunities for young people as part of its long-term plans for the industry’s future workforce.
The publicly-owned utility employed 176 Modern Apprentices and 81 graduates during 2025, underlining its commitment to training and development.
Read More:
The company also reported strong participation in its Learn to Swim programme, with around 84,000 children and adults taking part in lessons each week across Scotland. More than 1,800 adults joined through the “Never Too Late” campaign, which aims to encourage people of all ages to learn swimming skills.
In addition, Scottish Water is urging customers to sign up for its free text alert service, which provides updates on potential service disruptions. More than 68,000 people registered in 2025, taking the total number of subscribers to over 124,000.
The public utility said in a statement: “The numbers for 2025 demonstrate clearly how people in Scotland value their water, and the most significant is that the percentage of customers who rate Scottish tap water as being world class is 89%, according to research by YouGov.”