A brief history of river level monitoring in
Scotland
SEPA monitors river level and flow throughout Scotland. Although
electronic records didn't begin until the late 1970s, paper records
go back to the start of the 20th century.
Captain WN McClean initiated the first systematic approach to
river gauging in 1913 on the River Garry at Invergarry. His
objective was to investigate the potential for hydro-electric power
through an assessment of the yield of the Garry catchment. Prior to
1913, ad hoc gauging and level monitoring had been carried out for
specific purposes such as water supply. Following McClean's work on
the Garry, other stations were installed for the purpose of hydro
schemes.
The Department of Agriculture for Scotland (became the Department
of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland (DAFS) in 1959) installed
stations on major rivers from 1947 and made the first steps towards
a national network. These sites were principally installed to
assess yield.
Inland Surface Water Survey Committee (formed in 1950) published
records for 38 stations, six of which were in Scotland. These six
were privately operated by McClean's River-Flow Records.
The formation of the River Purification Boards (RPB) in 1951 lead
to a sudden expansion in the network as RPBs installed stations to
support their pollution control powers.
In 1954 the Central Advisory Water Committee published a year book
in which 22 of the 81 stations were in Scotland. This increased to
30 in 1959 (although there were an additional 47 operational
gauges).
Network development was not uniform across Scotland at this time.
The north west highlands and the islands were still not covered by
a RPB and the southern RPBs such as the Lothian, Clyde and Tweed
tended to be more active than those in the north.
The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board was also active and had
constructed stations on the rivers Beauly (Erchless), Ness (Ness
Castle Farm), Allt Bhlaraidh and Lyon (Moar).
An Inter-Departmental Committee comprising the Department of
Health, DAFS, Scottish Home Department and North of Scotland
Hydroelectric Board was formed in 1959 to report on the
arrangements for river surveying and gauging and to make
recommendations on the need for co-coordinating and extending the
work and its publication. The RPBs and Scottish Council
(Development and Industry) were also involved in discussions. The
committee proposed a centrally managed network of 77 primary and
140 secondary stations.
The Scottish Development Department (SDD) was formed in 1962 and
allowed for stations to be set up for the purpose of monitoring
pollution and yield. By 1969 there were 162 stations with the basic
network being the dominant element. The SDD held responsibility for
stations in the north and provided grant aid for stations in the
south to the RPBs.
The reorganisation of the RPBs in 1973, and the Control of
Pollution Act 1974, lead to further expansion of the network with
324 stations in operation in 1979. During 1978 and 1979 the RPBs
took on the remaining SDD sites so completing the move towards a
single gauging authority in Scotland.
SEPA inherited all stations operated by the RPBs in April
1996.
For a complete history of hydrometry in Scotland, readers are
referred to Black, A.R. and Cranston, M.D., 1995. "River flow
gauging station data usage and network evolution in Scotland" In:
British Hydrological Society 5th National Hydrology Symposium,
Edinburgh, 1995.