Controlled Activities Regulations
The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations (CAR) are made under Section 20 of the Water Environment & Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003 which transposed the Water Framework Directive into Scots Law. The Regulations came into force on 1 April 2006.
CAR will be a key tool in the achievement of environmental objectives set out through the river basin planning process. The Regulations task SEPA with authorising activities which can have adverse effects on the water environment, such as engineering, abstractions, impoundments and discharges. SEPA may set licence conditions of authorisation as appropriate, designed to control the risk of deterioration of status; to make improvements to the state of the water environment; or to retain an appropriate level of environmental capacity for future sustainable development.
There are three tiers of control which are differentiated according to the level of risk that various activities pose to the water environment. This minimises the regulatory burden upon those undertaking a controlled activity whilst still ensuring that SEPA are able to monitor all impact on the water environment.
Further details about CAR, its application, and the charging scheme can be found on SEPA's website.