By Rob Edwards, Environment Editor

Delays in cleaning up Scotland's polluted rivers, lochs and coastlines will breach European law, leaving vast areas of water contaminated for many years.

About 800 stretches of water covering more than 11,000 sq km will still be classified as "bad", "poor" or "moderate" in 2015 under official plans to improve the nation's water quality.

Scotland is aiming so low that it has dropped down the league of European countries, according to a new international ranking, with England and Germany now doing better.

At present more than one-third of Scotland's waterways are rated polluted or ecologically damaged. This is condemned as a "national disgrace" by one of the country's most powerful conservation groups, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), which takes a lead on environmental issues relating to water because of the impact of pollution on birds.

Discharges from farms, sewage works, quarries, the forestry industry and fish farms contaminate rivers, lochs, estuaries, groundwater and coastlines across the country. Among the 100 worst polluted are Loch Leven near Kinross, River Eden in Fife and River Ness upstream of Inverness.

Other badly contaminated waters are River Garnock in Ayrshire, Dusk Water near Kilwinning, Legbrannock Burn near Motherwell, Fenwick Water near Kilmarnock and Kype Water south of Larkhall. Burns and lochs across the Highlands and Islands are also rated in the "worst polluted" category.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) is currently consulting on a draft plan for managing Scotland's river basins. But it aims to improve only 7% of the nation's waterways over the next six years, leaving 28% in an unsatisfactory state. By 2015, 673 rivers and burns stretching 7418km will still be categorised as "less than good". The same will apply to 53 lochs, 51 groundwater zones, 13 estuaries and 21 coastlines covering 11,000 sq km.

Some water courses are expected to still be polluted by 2027, the deadline for cleaning them all under the European Water Framework Directive, which could make the government liable to legal action and fines.

"The fact Sepa is targeting a mere 7% improvement by 2015 is not good enough," said Andrea Johnstonova, RSPB Scotland's freshwater policy officer. "Just a few years ago, Scotland had plans for fast-tracking Europe-wide efforts to clean up our water, but the targets being proposed now are really lacking in ambition."

She wants Sepa to be much more ambitious "to stop us falling even further behind other European countries that value their water environment more highly". She also wants the Scottish government to give Sepa more resources to clean up water pollution.

A league table of European rivers published by the European Environment Bureau and the environmental group WWF rates Scotland as "poor" on healthy and safe water and "moderate" on other criteria including management, waste and transparency. England, Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands all earn "good" on some criteria.

Two RSPB nature reserves will suffer for years under Sepa's plan: Loch of Spiggie in Shetland is due to stay polluted until after 2027, while Loch of Strathbeg in Aberdeenshire is not scheduled for improvement until after 2015.

The consultation on river basin management plans will end on June 22 and people should submit their views to the RSPB. A final plan is due in December.

"Sepa has been working on the final plan using improved data," said a spokeswoman. "It will be more ambitious than the draft, and will aim to meet good' status in most water bodies."

The Scottish government also welcomes people's views. "The plans are based on existing measures and funding levels but when they were announced we made clear that we would be seeking further improvements in the future," said a spokesperson. "That is why we have consulted on longer-term ambitions and additional powers for Sepa."