United Utilities
To collect the water needed for drinking, United Utilities owns 56,000 hectares of catchment land in the north west of England. 10,000 hectares lie within the Peak District. Much of it is internationally important heather moorland and designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest. We aim to manage this land in a way that balances the interests of land users, biodiversity and protection of water sources. Large areas of the moor are eroding which has an impact on raw water quality in terms of colour and sediments arising from the exposed fragile peat soil.