Over 2,000 hectares of damaged peat in West Yorkshire has been restored since last year as part of a £9m project by Yorkshire Water to improve drinking water quality.

The areas have been targeted because of the detrimental impact that bare peat can have – with water becoming discoloured as it runs through the land and into Yorkshire Water’s nearby reservoirs.

The water company said that work over the past 12 months has already begun to make a tangible difference to the land with helicopters taking to the skies this week to target areas across the moors in Huddersfield.

The scheme has focussed on the Chellow catchment in Bradford and Longwood catchment in Huddersfield, with re-seeding taking place across a huge expanse of land and fencing, gullies and dams being installed to help alleviate the problem.

Earlier this week, a helicopter airlifted the first of 1,800 heather bales to be transported onto the moors above Wessenden reservoir near Marsden. These will then be installed into gullies to reduce erosion of the peat which ends up in the reservoirs below. A further 755 bales will be lifted and installed on Close Moss later in the autumn.

Peat that is washed down into the reservoirs not only causes the water to be discoloured but also means that Yorkshire Water has to invest even more in treating the water to ensure it reaches national standards set by the independent regulator.

Andrew Walker, Yorkshire Water’s Catchment Manager said:

“This is the latest stage in the important project to preserve and enhance rare peatlands and, in the process, improve water quality.”

“We also recognise that we have the opportunity to make a huge difference to some of Yorkshire’s most iconic landscapes by restoring them back to health, boosting local biodiversity and benefitting the thousands of visitors and user groups who currently derive enjoyment or income from them.

“Our work will have wider environmental benefits too, as we’ll be protecting and enhancing peatland which serves as some of the largest natural carbon reservoirs in the UK.”

The land is owned by the National Trust who has been working in partnership with Yorkshire Water to restore the peat. Judith Patrick, General Manager for the National Trust, commented:

“This is a fantastic opportunity for us to further our conservation work on a bigger scale than we are normally able. So often we are restricted by staff or financial resource. The planned works directly contribute to our Estate Management Plan and will improve the habitat for our many upland breeding birds for the long term.”

The project has a number of additional benefits, including protecting the embedded carbon that peatlands are known to contain. Research shows that for every £1 spent restoring peatlands £3 of public money is saved and for every £1 not spent on restoring peatlands the tax payer has to foot a £5 bill.