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29 December 2025
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Scotland’s Year in Water: 2025 by the Numbers – Record Use, Drought, and Big Wins
29 December 2025
Making it Count
This year Scotland faced record water use and its driest weather in almost 200 years. We responded with major upgrades, environmental projects, and community action to save water and keep supplies flowing.
People in Scotland consumed more than 470 billion litres of water in 2025, in the midst of some of the driest weather in almost two centuries, according to the latest Scottish Water figures.
The statistics show that throughout the year, domestic and business customers across Scotland used a total of 472 billion litres of water – which is the equivalent of about 189,000 Olympic swimming pools or more than the total volume of water in Loch Earn and Loch Katrine combined.
Scottish Water’s year of 2025 in numbers tells a story of massive ongoing challenges on water resources related to climate change and of huge investment in improvements to its infrastructure and services to customers.
The weather – and specifically a lack of rain earlier this year and for much of the summer – is what prompted the company to call on customers to use water as efficiently as possible in homes and gardens.
The publicly-owned utility faced these challenges to maintain normal supplies across the country but particularly in parts of the east.
Scotland experienced its driest January to April period since 1964, which was the 15th driest in the past 190 years.
In the east, it experienced its driest January to August period since 1959 and the fifth driest in the past 190 years.
One of Scottish Water’s reservoirs which was affected the most by this was Backwater in Tayside where data shows it was the driest year since 1972-73.
Backwater reached its lowest recorded level in more than 40 years when storage was at 31.3% on October 30.
Two reservoirs in East Lothian (Watch Water and Hopes) also saw levels drop to their lowest recorded levels in at least 30 years, dropping to 40% and 43% respectively.
Lomond Hills reservoirs in Fife reached their lowest combined storage in at least 30 years when they were at 21%.
The statistics show that throughout the year, domestic and business customers across Scotland used a total of 472 billion litres of water – which is the equivalent of about 189,000 Olympic swimming pools or more than the total volume of water in Loch Earn and Loch Katrine combined.
Scottish Water’s year of 2025 in numbers tells a story of massive ongoing challenges on water resources related to climate change and of huge investment in improvements to its infrastructure and services to customers.
The weather – and specifically a lack of rain earlier this year and for much of the summer – is what prompted the company to call on customers to use water as efficiently as possible in homes and gardens.
The publicly-owned utility faced these challenges to maintain normal supplies across the country but particularly in parts of the east.
Scotland experienced its driest January to April period since 1964, which was the 15th driest in the past 190 years.
In the east, it experienced its driest January to August period since 1959 and the fifth driest in the past 190 years.
One of Scottish Water’s reservoirs which was affected the most by this was Backwater in Tayside where data shows it was the driest year since 1972-73.
Backwater reached its lowest recorded level in more than 40 years when storage was at 31.3% on October 30.
Two reservoirs in East Lothian (Watch Water and Hopes) also saw levels drop to their lowest recorded levels in at least 30 years, dropping to 40% and 43% respectively.
Lomond Hills reservoirs in Fife reached their lowest combined storage in at least 30 years when they were at 21%.
Infrastructure upgrades
Investing for the future
Scottish Water is always reminding customers that water is our most precious natural resource and is always worth saving - even in winter – because resources next summer could be lower as a result of below average rainfall over winter and spring.
The company worked hard to boost local supplies where needed and one way it did so was by tankering water in – with a total of 3,933 vehicles deployed to the end of November. An average capacity for a tanker is 24,000 litres so that’s a total of 94.3 million litres.
Scottish Water also faced challenges with waste water in 2025 – as it does every year – and the numbers there were no less stark.
It costs the company about £10m per year to clear chokes or blockages in our sewers – often caused by flushing the wrong things down toilets such as wet wipes and sanitary products.
The number of annual chokes ranges from about 34,000 to 36,000 and the average cost of clearing one is £297.
The council areas with the highest number of chokes in 2025 were Fife with 2767, Glasgow 2753 and Highland 2344. The lowest was Orkney with 42.
Research this year showed that 85% of people think wipes containing plastic should be banned.
Scottish Water is always investing to improve services to customers and did so throughout 2025.
One of the highlights came when the company completed its biggest ever drinking water investment – the £235m provision of two-way connection between the water networks in Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire which will benefit one million customers.
The utility also restored over 600 hectares of peatland in 2025 at various sites around Scotland, including the first phase of a major 400-hectare restoration project aimed at protecting the water quality for over one million customers in the Greater Glasgow area.
Scottish Water’s network of 132 iconic blue Top Up Taps across the country reached a milestone of having saved the equivalent of 20 million plastic bottles and research this year showed that1/3 of people in Scotland have used a Top Up Tap.
The busiest single day of usage across the Top Up Taps network was August 13 when the equivalent of 62,306 plastic bottles were saved and the busiest tap on that day was at Calderglen Park in East Kilbride when 4,696 bottles were saved.
Delivering skills and opportunities for young people – who are the future of the water industry – is key to Scottish Water and in 2025 we had 176 Modern Apprentices and 81 graduates employed.
During 2025 we reached around 84,000 children and adults taking part in Learn To Swim lessons every week across Scotland. This includes more than 1800 adults thanks to the Never Too Late campaign.
The company continually encourages customers across Scotland to sign up to its free text alert service to stay informed about potential disruption to services and the number doing so in 2025 was more than 68,000, taking the total number signed up to more than 124,000.
The numbers for 2025 demonstrate clearly how people in Scotland value their water and the most significant is that the percentage of customers who rate Scottish tap water as being world class is 89%, according to research by YouGov.
Scottish Water posts facts, tips and activities on social media to raise awareness about why we need to save water and more information on saving water is available at www.yourwateryourlife.co.uk/save
Scottish Water also faced challenges with waste water in 2025 – as it does every year – and the numbers there were no less stark.
It costs the company about £10m per year to clear chokes or blockages in our sewers – often caused by flushing the wrong things down toilets such as wet wipes and sanitary products.
The number of annual chokes ranges from about 34,000 to 36,000 and the average cost of clearing one is £297.
The council areas with the highest number of chokes in 2025 were Fife with 2767, Glasgow 2753 and Highland 2344. The lowest was Orkney with 42.
Research this year showed that 85% of people think wipes containing plastic should be banned.
Scottish Water is always investing to improve services to customers and did so throughout 2025.
One of the highlights came when the company completed its biggest ever drinking water investment – the £235m provision of two-way connection between the water networks in Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire which will benefit one million customers.
The utility also restored over 600 hectares of peatland in 2025 at various sites around Scotland, including the first phase of a major 400-hectare restoration project aimed at protecting the water quality for over one million customers in the Greater Glasgow area.
Scottish Water’s network of 132 iconic blue Top Up Taps across the country reached a milestone of having saved the equivalent of 20 million plastic bottles and research this year showed that1/3 of people in Scotland have used a Top Up Tap.
The busiest single day of usage across the Top Up Taps network was August 13 when the equivalent of 62,306 plastic bottles were saved and the busiest tap on that day was at Calderglen Park in East Kilbride when 4,696 bottles were saved.
Delivering skills and opportunities for young people – who are the future of the water industry – is key to Scottish Water and in 2025 we had 176 Modern Apprentices and 81 graduates employed.
During 2025 we reached around 84,000 children and adults taking part in Learn To Swim lessons every week across Scotland. This includes more than 1800 adults thanks to the Never Too Late campaign.
The company continually encourages customers across Scotland to sign up to its free text alert service to stay informed about potential disruption to services and the number doing so in 2025 was more than 68,000, taking the total number signed up to more than 124,000.
The numbers for 2025 demonstrate clearly how people in Scotland value their water and the most significant is that the percentage of customers who rate Scottish tap water as being world class is 89%, according to research by YouGov.
Scottish Water posts facts, tips and activities on social media to raise awareness about why we need to save water and more information on saving water is available at www.yourwateryourlife.co.uk/save
