River, Water and Private Supplies

Ask for one map covering rivers, burns, seasonal channels, ditches, culverts, drains, springs, wells, boreholes, pipes, wetlands, floodplains, groundwater-dependent habitat, peat, crossings, access roads, trenches, compounds, outfalls, storage and containment.

A dry ditch is still part of the water system.

Supplies may come from springs, wells, boreholes, rivers or lochs and may serve homes, farms or businesses. Developers should not rely on one public register: direct engagement with owners, tenants, users and Environmental Health is needed.

Keep exact locations secure and include source, collection area, pipes, tanks, treatment, users and previous problems.

Ask what lies near each supply and how groundwater reaches it. Distance circles are only a starting point; fractured rock, trenches, dewatering and drainage can create pathways not obvious on a flat plan.

Record quality and quantity, source and catchment condition, photographs, flow or yield, water level, seasonal change, rainfall, drought and flood history, treatment and previous test results.

For burns and rivers use upstream, downstream and suitable control locations before, during and after construction.

Ask who designed and collected samples, where and when they were taken, whether the water was raw or treated, weather and flow conditions, laboratory accreditation, parameters and repeat sampling.

Do not compare different methods or locations as if they are directly equivalent.

A supply can remain chemically clean but fail if its flow falls. Ask for normal, low and drought flow, storage, users, livestock or business demand, pumping recovery and historic interruptions.

“Water was flowing on the survey date” is not evidence of long-term resilience.

For each risk identify the source—such as soil, concrete, fuel, drilling fluids or firewater; the pathway—such as runoff, drains, groundwater or trenches; and the receptor—such as a supply, river, wetland, livestock or spawning ground.

Ask how clean water is diverted, dirty water treated, controls sized for heavy rain, stockpiles stabilised, silt removed and work stopped if treatment fails.

Crossings should avoid harm where possible, retain natural beds and banks where appropriate, maintain flood and wildlife passage and include temporary works and post-flood inspection.

Linear works can intercept groundwater, speed runoff, damage field drains, dry wetlands or move springs. Ask how natural flow will be maintained and how altered hydrology will be detected.

Visual reinstatement does not prove water movement is restored.

Fix locations, parameters, frequency, equipment, baseline period, reporting times, alert and stop-work thresholds, named responsibility, corrective action, restart authority and public reporting before work begins.

A threshold without an action is only a number. An action without a named decision-maker is only a hope.

For each potentially affected supply, record users, secure source location, catchment, pipes, baseline quality and yield, nearby works, pathways, monitoring, trigger levels, emergency contacts, alternative supply, repair, compensation and follow-up.

The alternative must meet household, livestock and business needs—not only provide a few bottles of drinking water.

Assess overhead lines, access roads, substations, BESS, quarries, forestry, renewable projects and other works affecting the same river, tributary, groundwater body or private supplies.

Water does not separate impacts according to application reference numbers.