Over the past decade, dedicated volunteers have been working tirelessly to restore the Dovestone Reservoir, recognizing the urgent need for its rehabilitation since 2012.
Situated in Oldham, Manchester county, the reservoir was surrounded by barren peat bogs that caused rainwater to rapidly turn into a silty brown color, adversely affecting water quality and filtration. This contaminated water would then flow into nearby streams and gullies, exacerbating the degradation of the riverine environment.
Moreover, the absence of ground vegetation posed significant flood risks to surrounding communities. With nothing to impede the flow, rainwater cascaded into the reservoir and own the hillsides onto the roads, increasing the potential for flooding incidents.
To address these environmental challenges, volunteers from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, in collaboration with United Utilities, the landowner, embarked on an ambitious restoration project.
Over the span of ten years, these volunteers braved rain, wind and sunshine – though mostly rain and wind – to hand-plant cuttings of sphagnum moss across the area. This effort aimed to counteract centuries of de-vegetation, dating back to Neolithic times.
In a symbolic milestone, on a rainy, windy Wednesday, the volunteers celebrated the planting of their one-millionth cutting.
Site manager, Kate Hanley, told the Oldham Times, “We are wanting a landscape that sequesters carbon and slows floodwaters, and supports lots of biodiversity, and is somewhere that gives people really nice health and wellbeing benefits.”
This achievement reflects the dedication and perseverance of the team in their mission to restore the reservoir ecosystem.
Mr. Hanley, a spokesperson for the project, highlighted the immense contribution of the volunteers, totaling over 45,000 hours of donated time. This commitment equates to approximately 20,000 labor hours of work, emphasizing the scale of the undertaking and the selflessness of those involved.
“We’ve come a really long way on that journey from bare, degraded, peat 10 years ago, to sphagnum-rich, soaking wet, functional blanket bog.”
As part of the restoration efforts, peat and rock dams have been strategically installed to trap water and create habitats for various wildlife species. These dams not only help in water retention but also provide shelter and breeding grounds for birds, amphibians, and insects, thereby enhancing biodiversity in the area.
71-year-old Denzil Broadhurst, who has been volunteering for years, told the Times, “We needed to get it back to something that looked how it used to look, with vegetation that was good for the wildlife, good for the birds, good for the mountain hares, and everything else.”
“It was important to actually try and help to do that work, to improve things,” he added.
The transformation of Dovestone Reservoir stands as a testament to the power of community-driven conservation initiatives. Through their dedication and hard work, volunteers have not only improved water quality and filtration but also mitigated flood risks and restored vital habitats for wildlife.
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