Scottish salmon river levels threatened by hydro schemes

HYDRO-ELECTRIC schemes are having a “devastating impact” on one of Scotland’s world-famous salmon fishing rivers by siphoning off too much water, a study has warned.

Researchers found that water flow and levels had dropped markedly on the 109-mile Spey, Scotland’s second longest river, which flows through the Highlands and Moray.

The study, commissioned by the Spey Fishery Board (SFB), said too much water was being diverted to generate electricity. The SFB, which manages the river’s renowned wild salmon and sea trout fisheries, said hydro schemes along with other land uses and a lack of snow melt had affected water levels.

Around 90 per cent of the water taken from the Spey comes from the top 13 per cent of the river. It is then diverted to Fort William or the Tay.

As a result, researchers found the renewable energy projects could reduce the natural flow in the Spey, by up to 24 per cent at Boat o’ Brig, near Fochabers in Moray, and by up to 61 per cent at Kingussie in the Highlands.

This had put the river and its wildlife at greater risk to the effects of climate change, the study said, with the Spey’s ability to store ground.

The Spey is Scotland’s fastest flowing river at a section downstream of Grantown-on-spey in the Highlands. Water has been diverted to hydro-electric schemes in Lochaber and the Tay river system since the 1940s.

SSE Renewables, one of the UK’S leading developers of hydro-electricity, said it was working with regulators and fishery boards while generating “clean and flexible” hydro power.

But the SFB urged the Snp-green coalition government and Scottish Environment Protect Agency (Sepa) to order a reduction in the volume of water being diverted from the Spey’s 1,158-sq mile catchment area.

Roger Knight, the board’s director, said: “It is clear that the scale of water transferred out of the Spey valley to generate hydro-electricity is having a devastating impact on the river.

“It has denuded the groundwater storage supplies and has reduced the Spey’s ability to cope with hotter, drier summers which are predicted to occur more frequently under climate change.

“It is crucial that licensed abstraction from our upper tributaries is reappraised and regulated to give this iconic river the sustainability it deserves.”

Sepa, the agency responsible for issuing and reviewing licences to abstract water, said there were several projects to improve the availability of water and abstractions under review.

A spokesman said: “During periods of water scarcity, we engage directly with operators that hold abstraction licenses to advise of the ongoing situation and ensure best practice is being followed to maximise water efficiency.”

The Scottish Government said it would “carefully consider” the report.