Assessing Water Scarcity Reporting in Scotland: A report from SEPA–University of Strathclyde Innovation Partnership Secondment

Joshua Peters; Jennifer Roberts; Stephen McGuire; Ellie Willmott; Claire Tunaley; Chris White; Tiffany Lau; Doug Bertram; Laura Major

doi:10.17868/strath.00093463

Assessing Water Scarcity Reporting in Scotland: A report from SEPA–University of Strathclyde Innovation Partnership Secondment

Joshua Peters
, Jennifer Roberts
, Stephen McGuire
, Ellie Willmott
, Claire Tunaley
, Chris White
, Tiffany Lau
, Doug Bertram
, Laura Major

Research output: Book/Report › Other report

60 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In Autumn/Winter 2024, an Innovation Partnership funded knowledge exchange project supported the University of Strathclyde researchers to collaborate with SEPA’s Water Resources Unit through Strathclyde researcher Joshua Peters’ three-month secondment into SEPA.

The collaboration aimed to enhance Scotland’s water scarcity monitoring and reporting framework. The work was motivated by the need to provide robust, data-driven insights into Scotland’s increasing water scarcity challenges, particularly in rural and island communities. Activities included synthesising historical water scarcity data, refining expert judgment processes, and improving visual tools to explore and communicate water scarcity.

The work has delivered critical tools and insights to improve Scotland’s preparedness for water scarcity, ensuring that future decision-making is based on robust, transparent, and continuously updated data.

Original language	English
Place of Publication	Glasgow
Publisher	University of Strathclyde
Number of pages	27
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.17868/strath.00093463
Publication status	Published - 10 Jul 2025

Funding

This project was supported by EPSRC Impact Accelerator Award Innovation Partnership (Secondment) funding awarded by the University of Strathclyde (EP/X525820/1). The award supported partnership between the University of Strathclyde and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) through a secondment with SEPA and associated collaboration to accelerate impact from the Strathclyde led research undertaken through the EPSRC Decentralised Water Technologies Programme Grant (EP/V030515/1).

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Keywords

environmental change
climate resilient
water monitoring
drought
climate change
hydronation

Access to Document

10.17868/strath.00093463Licence: CC BY 4.0

Peters-etal-Strathclyde-2025-Assessing-Water-Scarcity-Reporting-in-ScotlandFinal published version, 766 KBLicence: CC BY 4.0

1 Finished
1 Active

Decentralised Water Technologies (EPSRC Programme Grant)
Roberts, J. (Principal Investigator) & Ford, R. (Co-investigator)
EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council)
1/07/21 → 31/12/26
Project: Research
EPSRC IAA: SEPA Secondment: Raising the Profile of Water Issues Across Scotland
Bertram, D. (Academic), White, C. (Academic), Roberts, J. (Co-investigator), Major, L. (Research Co-investigator) & Peters, J. (Researcher)
EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council)
1/04/22 → 31/03/26
Project: Research - Internally Allocated

Dataset of Daily Water Scarcity Level in Scotland (1991 - 2025)
Peters, J. (Creator), Roberts, J. (Owner), McGuire, S. (Contributor), Willmott, E. (Contributor), Tunaley, C. (Creator), White, C. (Contributor), Lau, T. (Contributor), Bertram, D. (Contributor) & Major, L. (Contributor), University of Strathclyde, 28 Oct 2025
DOI: 10.15129/ea4d17fe-6d09-44da-b7d5-d3eae5249313
Dataset

Cite this

@book{752e808d43644737b1cff0aa57db7914,

title = "Assessing Water Scarcity Reporting in Scotland: A report from SEPA–University of Strathclyde Innovation Partnership Secondment",

abstract = "In Autumn/Winter 2024, an Innovation Partnership funded knowledge exchange project supported the University of Strathclyde researchers to collaborate with SEPA{\textquoteright}s Water Resources Unit through Strathclyde researcher Joshua Peters{\textquoteright} three-month secondment into SEPA. The collaboration aimed to enhance Scotland{\textquoteright}s water scarcity monitoring and reporting framework. The work was motivated by the need to provide robust, data-driven insights into Scotland{\textquoteright}s increasing water scarcity challenges, particularly in rural and island communities. Activities included synthesising historical water scarcity data, refining expert judgment processes, and improving visual tools to explore and communicate water scarcity. The work has delivered critical tools and insights to improve Scotland{\textquoteright}s preparedness for water scarcity, ensuring that future decision-making is based on robust, transparent, and continuously updated data.",

keywords = "environmental change, climate resilient, water monitoring, drought, climate change, hydronation",

author = "Joshua Peters and Jennifer Roberts and Stephen McGuire and Ellie Willmott and Claire Tunaley and Chris White and Tiffany Lau and Doug Bertram and Laura Major",

year = "2025",

month = jul,

day = "10",

doi = "10.17868/strath.00093463",

language = "English",

publisher = "University of Strathclyde",

}

TY - BOOK

T1 - Assessing Water Scarcity Reporting in Scotland

T2 - A report from SEPA–University of Strathclyde Innovation Partnership Secondment

AU - Peters, Joshua

AU - Roberts, Jennifer

AU - McGuire, Stephen

AU - Willmott, Ellie

AU - Tunaley, Claire

AU - White, Chris

AU - Lau, Tiffany

AU - Bertram, Doug

AU - Major, Laura

PY - 2025/7/10

Y1 - 2025/7/10

N2 - In Autumn/Winter 2024, an Innovation Partnership funded knowledge exchange project supported the University of Strathclyde researchers to collaborate with SEPA’s Water Resources Unit through Strathclyde researcher Joshua Peters’ three-month secondment into SEPA. The collaboration aimed to enhance Scotland’s water scarcity monitoring and reporting framework. The work was motivated by the need to provide robust, data-driven insights into Scotland’s increasing water scarcity challenges, particularly in rural and island communities. Activities included synthesising historical water scarcity data, refining expert judgment processes, and improving visual tools to explore and communicate water scarcity. The work has delivered critical tools and insights to improve Scotland’s preparedness for water scarcity, ensuring that future decision-making is based on robust, transparent, and continuously updated data.

AB - In Autumn/Winter 2024, an Innovation Partnership funded knowledge exchange project supported the University of Strathclyde researchers to collaborate with SEPA’s Water Resources Unit through Strathclyde researcher Joshua Peters’ three-month secondment into SEPA. The collaboration aimed to enhance Scotland’s water scarcity monitoring and reporting framework. The work was motivated by the need to provide robust, data-driven insights into Scotland’s increasing water scarcity challenges, particularly in rural and island communities. Activities included synthesising historical water scarcity data, refining expert judgment processes, and improving visual tools to explore and communicate water scarcity. The work has delivered critical tools and insights to improve Scotland’s preparedness for water scarcity, ensuring that future decision-making is based on robust, transparent, and continuously updated data.

KW - environmental change

KW - climate resilient

KW - water monitoring

KW - drought

KW - climate change

KW - hydronation

U2 - 10.17868/strath.00093463

DO - 10.17868/strath.00093463

M3 - Other report

BT - Assessing Water Scarcity Reporting in Scotland

PB - University of Strathclyde

CY - Glasgow

ER -

Assessing Water Scarcity Reporting in Scotland: A report from SEPA–University of Strathclyde Innovation Partnership Secondment

Abstract

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Projects

Decentralised Water Technologies (EPSRC Programme Grant)

EPSRC IAA: SEPA Secondment: Raising the Profile of Water Issues Across Scotland

Datasets

Dataset of Daily Water Scarcity Level in Scotland (1991 - 2025)

Cite this