What progress has been made in the designation of river basin districts required by the Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act…

I have today approved thedraft designation order for a single river basin district for Scotland.This is the sole issue remaining for transposition of the water framework directive.
The designation has beensupported by key stakeholders, who believe that a single river basin districtto cover all Scottish waters, except those in the cross-border catchment, willallow for a cohesive approach to river basin management planning in Scotland.The consultation process brought out some concerns from stakeholders situatedin Dumfries and Galloway that the area had been split between the ScotlandRiver Basin District and the cross-border river basin district with England.These concerns have been addressed by including all Dumfries and Galloway catchmentsin the cross-border district. This will enable more effective management ofthat area.
This designation sets theadministrative boundaries for introducing a modernised approach to protectingand enhancing the water environment. The balance of all interests will be thecornerstone of this new approach.