Competent Authority

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is the competent authority in Scotland and under the WEWS Act is the lead authority for:

• The establishment of River Basin Districts and cross border issues
• Characterisation of River Basin Districts
• Identify water bodies for designation as Drinking Water Protected Areas
• Establish a register of protected areas
• Monitoring efforts in Scotland
• River Basin Management Planning including associated programmes of measures
• The development of cost and benefit measures

As regulator, SEPA has a duty to implement the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011(CAR) and their further amendments in line with the overall policy objectives specified by the Scottish Ministers.

(http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2011/209/contents/made)

(http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2013/176/contents/made)

SEPA maintains a comprehensive website covering many aspects of their work including the implementation of the WFD as shown on their website at:

(http://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/water/)

SEPA is responsible for co-ordinating the basin planning process in the Scotland River Basin District and in 2005 it published its River Basin Management Planning Strategy describing their strategy for producing the River Basin Management Plan for the Scotland River Basin District:

(http://www.sepa.org.uk/media/37453/rbmp_planning-strategy_scotland.pdf)

SEPA and the Environment Agency have published a joint document setting out their strategy for basin planning in the Solway Tweed River Basin District, where they are jointly responsible for co-ordinating the basin planning process.

See: River Basin Districts.

Other key documents available are:

• An economic analysis of water use in the Scotland River Basin District
• Characterisation and impact analyses required by Article 5 of the Water Framework Directive – Scotland River Basin District
• Characterisation and impact analyses required by Article 5 of the Water Framework Directive – Solway Tweed River Basin District
• Controlled Activity Regulations – A Practical Guide
• Controlled Activity Regulations – Guidance for Operators of Abstractions and Impoundments
• River Basin Planning Framework for the Solway Tweed River Basin District
• Septic Tanks – Important New Changes to the Control of Small Private Sewage Discharges
• Solway Tweed River Basin Characterisation. An economic analysis of water use
• The DOs and DON’Ts Guide for Planning and Designing SUDS
• The Future for Scotland’s Water. Guiding Principals on the Technical Requirements of the Water Framework Directive
• Your Questions Answered

(http://www.sepa.org.uk/library/)

SEPA produced a useful quarterly newsletter called SEPA View that gave advance notice of developments in environmental legislation and highlighted SEPA publications. It also provided information about a wide variety of SEPA developments and achievements and SEPA’s work and in the wider Scottish environmental scene.

SEPA changed the format of SEPA View from hard copy to an interactive web site on Friday 11 November 2011. The new site offers many of the features of the printed version, but has the advantage of being updated much more regularly.

(http://www.sepaview.com/)

There is also a weekly email service “SEPA Update” containing information about:

• website updates, including policies, guidance, charging schemes etc
• consultations
• news releases
• vacancies
• events
• publications, and
• campaigns.

See: (http://www.sepa.org.uk/help/sepa-signup/)

 

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