MINISTERIAL FOREWORD
The Scottish Government has made good progress in improving flood risk management in Scotland through the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 and work is underway to implement the changes it will deliver. These include a number of changes to the Reservoirs Act 1975, including a requirement for reservoir undertakers to produce on-site reservoir plans, and the introduction of a compulsory system of post incident reporting.
We now have to take forward regulations to ensure these on-site reservoir plans are in place and tested for actions to be taken in the event of an uncontrolled release of water, and to provide better information about the condition of Scotland's dams. This consultation includes detailed proposals of these regulations. However, some smaller reservoirs, which are not currently regulated because they are less than 25,000 cubic metres in capacity, pose a greater risk than those currently regulated. Recent incidents at some of these smaller reservoirs, such as the Maich Fishery in Renfrewshire, have highlighted a need to consider the current legislation framework and see if it is fit for purpose.
The proposals we have set out in this consultation paper are designed to introduce a new regime for ensuring the risk from flooding from reservoirs in Scotland is managed appropriately. The proposed new regime will deliver a proportionate system which protects the public from the risk of flooding from reservoirs without placing unnecessary burdens on reservoir undertakers.
We have included a number of potential delivery models for your consideration. We welcome your views on these proposals and hope you will take this opportunity to consider what can be done to improve reservoir safety in Scotland.
Richard Lochhead MSP
Cabinet Secretary For Rural Affairs and the Environment
Roseanna Cunningham MSP
Minister for Environment