Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/1055150
www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | DECEMBER 2018 | 19 Volunteers working on the restoration Greater Manchester, with internationally im- portant blanket bog that supports a host of wildlife. The project involves working with tenant farmers to restore 4,000 hectares of moorland including 2,500 hectares of blan- ket bog degraded by decades of damage. The joint work started in 2010, continuing the work of United Utilities' Sustainable Catchment Management Programme. This is a signi‚ cant restoration project which has been recognised as a model of success with the partnership winning the Natura Award for Conservation in 2016 and the CIEEM Award for Large-scale Conserva- tion in 2018. Peat bogs are a hugely valuable land- scape for both wildlife and in regulating environmental pollution. The peat that cloaks our highest land forms a blanket of life that supports characteristic plants and animals, especially the Sphagnum mosses, with 'Blanket Bog' a very rare habitat globally for vulnerable wildlife. Peat bogs, when in good condition, are also a massive carbon 'sink' continually soaking up CO2 from the atmosphere. Upland soils are the largest carbon store in England with 300 million tonnes of carbon stored in English peatlands, mostly in the uplands, and restoring these habitats is a key way to help tackle climate change. But these invaluable peat bogs are under attack. Historic atmospheric pollution from the northern industrial towns and cities killed more than 99 per cent of the peat-building Sphagnum moss at Dove Stone. With over- grazing and burning the peat oxidizes and is prone to be washed away in times of heavy rain. Peat-staining in our water is costly to re- move and the peat that disappears through chemical oxidation ends up pumping carbon into our atmosphere. RSPB and United Utilities' work on the ground involves planting up the bare areas of peat, blocking eroded gullies and innovative work sowing over 400,000 individual hand- fuls of peat-forming sphagnum mosses. It's a work in progress, but there have already been dra- matic changes in the landscape. As "We are hugely proud of what we've achieved with the RSPB at Dove Stone. Our customers get to benefi t from a beautiful area which was previously in great decline, where rare birds, insects and animals are thriving, and better quality water is entering our reservoirs. This sort of project is a win-win- win for customers, the environment and our business. We're looking forward to working even more closely with nature partners in future to help leave our environment in a better condition than we found it." Jo Harrison, United Utilities "Dove Stone is a great example of the environmental transformation that can be achieved when water companies and nature experts work hand in hand. It is important that the momentum that we've developed from joint- working on these key projects is built upon so that benefi ts to nature turn from a trickle into a fl ood. It's not just through on the ground projects that we can make a diff erence, by showing the common ground and joint voice that water companies and environmentalists have on diffi cult issues like agricultural pollution, climate change, drought and fl ooding we can get these messages heard more clearly, and acted upon, by Government." Nathan Richardson, RSPB says Nathan Richardson of the RSPB, who is vice chair of Blueprint for Water. "Joint projects on the ground across the country are already achieving success and we look forward to more joint work on policy, tar- gets, campaigns, and initiatives delivering results for the environment." Jo Harrison, asset management director at United Utilities, added: "It is essential for wildlife, for our customers and for us as a business, to pool our resources and exper- tise with that of nature experts. From peat bogs to politics behind the scenes, we are increasingly working with partners to make our business more sustainable, deliver inno- vative solutions to environmental problems, and bene‚ t our customers through an improved service and improved landscapes for them to enjoy." the peat re- covers, we are seeing bene‚ ts in water quality, wa- ter retention and the work is helping to tackle climate change by locking up carbon. There has also been a Ÿ urry of wildlife as a result of the project with birds such as dunlins, golden plovers, curlews, peregrine falcons and red grouse, insects and amphibians increasing and vulnerable mam- mals like water voles starting to Ÿ ourish. "With the UK's waters in a critical state this pooling of resources and expertise is essential to help make them healthy again,"