Hydrological aspects of drought in Scotland and their implications for water resource management

Abstract

Initially, this thesis considers the general nature of "drought", and in par icuTar that of the drought affecting Scotland during the period 1971-76. The eastern part of the country is identified as that suffering the longest and severest drought spells over this period, by way of detailed investigation of various hydrometeorological and hydrological measures of drought. Attention is focussed on the hydrological aspects of drought in Scotland by way of two special studies. The first involves the derivation and analysis of a 92-year long record of annual run-off for a reservoired catchment in south-east Scotland. The second is concerned with the collection and collation of all available low flow yields in the East of Scotland, and the subsequent development of detailed maps depicting 1 and 5 percentile run-off levels. This exercise reveals the large degree of variation in such yields throughout the country.

The effects of the hydrological abnormalities of the 1971-76 period are considered for two main areas of water management, namely, public water supply provision, and waste water disposal. The relatively localised drought impacts associated with the latter are described, to varying degrees of detail, in a series of case studies. Impacts concerning the former are analysed from a national viewpoint, with particular regard paid to the wide range of drought impacts and management problems associated with water supply reservoirs.

This is followed by an appraisal of the existing policies (eosvpeercniainllyg the planning and management of water supply systems reservoired ones) in Scotland, in relation to the hazard of drought. Relevant shortcomings are recognised, and techniques for overcoming-them are presented. In effect, a new systematic and thorough approach to optimal yield estimation and drought management of reservoired water supply systems is put forward, by way of a case study.