News

SCaMP almost complete...

The United Utilities’ (UU) SCaMP1 project (2005-2010) has just completed a five year programme which has taken a holistic whole-farm approach to the target of reaching the PSA 90% of SSSIs to be in favourable condition by 2010 and to improving water quality. We have been monitoring the effectiveness of the programme in terms of hydrological and vegetation changes.

The programme of restoration work means that more than 96 per cent of UU’s SSSI land in Bowland and in Longdendale and the Goyt Valley in the Peak District is now meeting the government’s Public Service Agreement (PSA) target condition grades. This achievement is all down to the hard work and dedication of their Bowland and Southern teams who, along with key stakeholders and partners, have commissioned measures to nurse these areas back to environmental and ecological health. This has included major building works to facilitate removal or reduction of stock from the moorlands at sensitive times and prevention of stock gaining access to water courses.

Many kilometres of moorland grips have been blocked, the re-wetting is raising the water table and enhancing the development of Sphagnum cover. Colour levels are showing a low but significant decline where blocking has been in place long enough. Large areas of bare peat have been re-vegetated, mostly in Longdendale in the Peak District (although recovery to a blanket bog vegetation is yet to be realised) and sediment losses concomitantly reduced as a result.

A summary of our latest (Year 4) report giving the key findings over the first four years is available from our Publications section, or else here.

United Utilities is now establishing a second phase of SCaMP – SCaMP2 which is set to restore areas in the Western Pennines and the Lake District. We hope to be able to continue elements of the SCaMP 1 monitoring into the next 4 years. Our final report on SCaMP 1 will be prepared in early 2011. Watch this space.