With more dry weather forecasted for July, the risk of water shortage has increased in Scotland's east.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), has warned that conditions will not improve over the coming week.
Despite recent rains, the situation has worsened through June and July. Very little rain is forecast for the week ahead.
The majority of east Scotland is still in the "alert” category.
Due to extremely dry ground conditions, the River Ythan and Firth of Tay were placed in moderate scarcity.
Low river levels have also put areas around the River Irvine in Ayrshire into an early warning stage. The alert state of most of the east is still in place.
Businesses located in areas of high water demand are encouraged to take steps to improve their efficiency.
Sepa can offer advice about staggering operations, reducing volumes or durations, or even suspending operations entirely.
It can also help you switch supplies such as groundwater to river water.
Michael Wann, Sepa's water resources specialist, stated: "Water is a key resource that underpins key sectors across Scotland - food and drink production to farming and management of golf courses.
"All licensed abstractors should have a plan for dealing with all conditions throughout the year, even the current water scarcity situation."
Water is finite and shared. We all need to work together in order to make it as efficient as possible. Businesses should plan for the long-term so we can conserve the resource as efficiently as possible.
Sepa had warned in March that water scarcity could be a growing concern this year due to a particularly dry winter.
Climate change is expected to increase water scarcity.
A consistent water supply is essential for many industries, including golf, distillery production, and hydropower.
