Afton Reservoir Peatland Restoration
Project overview
We are restoring over 500 hectares of peatland in East Ayrshire as part of our drive to protect water quality and cut carbon in the face of climate change.
The project, focused on land surrounding Afton Reservoir near New Cumnock, is the largest peatland restoration scheme carried out by Scottish Water to date and has been split into two phases.
Work on the first phase totally almost 300 hectares of land is almost complete, while work is also now underway on Phase Two of the project.
At a Glance
- Over 500 hectares of peatland restoration
- Protecting water quality of reservoir
- Helping lock up carbon
Locking up carbon
We are restoring over 500 hectares of peatland at Afton Reservoir, helping to lock up carbon and protect water quality.
What we are doing
The scheme aims to return the land to a more natural state by closing up the drains which cover much of the area – using a technique called zippering.Zippering involves using blocks of peat with the turf intact to stitch together the existing drain line, helping to hold the water in the land and return it to bog. This encourages healthy peatlands and prevents erosion.
