Government offer help for private water supplies

THE Scottish Government is calling on communities with private water supplies impacted by water scarcity to check if they could benefit from funding to help connect homes to public water supplies, as part of wider work to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

This builds on work carried out at five pilot projects in Aberdeenshire, looking at the feasibility and costs associated with making connections to homes with private water supplies impacted by water scarcity.

The Scottish Government funding will cover the costs of a Water Impact Assessment, which can range from between £3000 and £25,000, removing a financial barrier to communities seeking to connect to the public supply.

Net zero secretary Màiri McAllan said: “Around 160,000 people in Scotland rely on drinking water from private water supplies, which are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

“Scotland is experiencing increasingly prolonged periods of dry weather, which increases the risk of water scarcity in rural communities that are reliant on private water supplies.

“Scottish Governmentfunded pilot projects have so far been very successful in showing that by removing the cost and uncertainty relating to Water Impact Assessments, we can help more households to connect to the public water supply.

“As such, we are now seeking candidates from other communities nationwide that could qualify for the funding.

“The Water Impact Assessment Programme is the latest example of our ongoing commitment to ensure that those on private water supplies and affected by climate change receive the support that they need, whilst also improving the resilience of Scotland’s water infrastructure.”