Water and Society

Aerial view of Elie and Earlsferry. Photo credit: Posnov. Source: Getty Images

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CREW is governed according to key policy areas in Scotland’s water sector including flooding, water scarcity, coastal erosion, catchment management, rural sustainability, water quality and health, and resource recovery. Cross-cutting activities focus on adapting to climate change, land use and urbanisation, promoting the circular economy, a post-COVID green recovery, the move to net zero and a just transition for communities.

All our work has an overarching consideration of maximising the benefits of research to society and the environment.

Who can request CREW work?

CREW projects originate from our water policy, regulatory and industry partners as need arises. The organisations that can request work through CREW are: Scottish Government, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Drinking Water Quality Regulator, Scottish Water, NatureScot, Scottish Canals, Food Standards Scotland, Zero Waste Scotland, Consumer Scotland and Public Health Scotland.

Water Scarcity in Scotland: Future Impact for Distilleries and Agriculture

A recent CREW project led by The James Hutton Institute, in collaboration with Scotland’s Rural College, the University of Aberdeen, and the British Geological Survey, highlighted a pressing issue for Scotland: the increasing likelihood and duration of water scarcity events due to climate change. This project, focused on the impact of these changes on three critical sectors—crop production, livestock farming, and distilleries.

Water Quality and Health

Water running over rocks, Glen Etive. Photo credit: Jeremy Walker. Source: Getty Images

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CREW’s Water Quality and Health theme focusses on providing high quality science knowledge regarding:

  • Water, wastewater and drainage
  • Human and environmental health
  • Epidemiology
  • Contaminants in the environment

The projects undertaken within this theme support policy and regulation areas including:

  • Drinking Water Directive
  • Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive
  • Water Framework Directive
  • One Health Framework

Recent research published within this thematic area includes:

Sustainable Communities

Sustainable Rural Communities
Rural communities face particular challenges for access to affordable energy, treatment and disposal of waste and the provision of drinking water supplies. The Sustainable Rural Community concept envisions a paradigm shift in delivery of these services and aims to deliver a closed loop system that would be carbon and energy neutral, cost-effective and resilient.

Water Quality

Water Quality
Over 99% of public supplies for drinking water in Scotland complied with current standards. Our public supplies are delivered to our taps via 458 different sources (including rivers, lochs, and springs), 47,000 km of water mains and over 250 water treatment works. In private water supplies, serving 3% of the population, compliance is reduced to 88-94% in some areas.

Flooding & Coastal Erosion

Flooding & Coastal Erosion
In 2009, Scotland adopted the Flood Risk Management Act to introduce a more sustainable and modern approach to flood risk management, and to better face the impact of climate change. Recently, SEPA published their flood risk and hazard maps. The final stage is in producing national and local flood risk management plans.

Catchment Management

Catchment Management
River Basin Management Planning is a requirement of the Water Framework Directive which aims to protect and improve water quality across Europe. Implemented in Scotland via domestic legislation the overarching aim is to achieve ‘good status’ in 97% of water bodies by 2027.
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