Scottish Water has successfully restored a further 94 hectares of degrading peatland in the catchment area surrounding Loch Katrine. This work forms part of a decade-long initiative to rehabilitate up to 400 hectares of land to safeguard the water quality for over a million customers in Glasgow.

The second phase of the project, which began in October 2025, was delivered by George Leslie. Using excavators, the team focused on blocking manmade drains and reprofiling peat hags to retain more water within the land. These measures allow healthy peat to flourish and prevent organic matter from being washed into the loch during heavy rainfall, ensuring the source water remains high-quality and reducing the intensity of the treatment process.

Scottish Water Project Manager Michael Gilmour said: "Combined with the first phase of the project, which was carried out at the start of 2025, we have now restored over 200 hectares of peatland surrounding Loch Katrine which is great news – an area equivalent to around 280 football pitches.

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"The weather conditions over winter made it very challenging at times in terms of being able to access the areas we are working in, but the team at George Leslie worked hard to ensure that this work was delivered as planned. We are also grateful to The Woodland Trust for allowing us to access the work sites via Glen Finglas."

Craig McDonald, Site Manager at George Leslie, noted that despite the difficult weather, the 95 hectares restored this year follow a successful 110-hectare phase last year. He highlighted that areas treated previously are already showing signs of recovery, with increased amphibian activity in new dams indicating a boost to local biodiversity.

The restoration is a key component of a wider land management strategy in partnership with Forestry and Land Scotland. This plan includes the creation of one of Europe's largest woodlands through the regeneration of native broadleaf trees, supporting the expansion of the Great Trossachs Forest.

Jared Stewart, manager of Scottish Water's peatland restoration programme, said: "It is great to see the progress that is being made on delivering this important project which is a catchment level approach to protecting the source water quality at Loch Katrine for our customers, as well as improving the biodiversity of the area.

"Healthy peatland and woodlands will also play a key role in helping to lock up carbon emissions and supporting our journey to net zero emissions by 2040. A third phase of peatland restoration work will get underway later this year."

The project is supported by Peatland ACTION, a national programme funded by the Scottish Government's Climate Change Plan. The government has committed to investing £250 million to restore 250,000 hectares of peatlands by 2030.