Biodiversity and Woodland Creation at Carron Valley

Project overview

We are carrying out work at Carron Valley Reservoir to create a biodiversity area. This includes planting flowers, hedges, shrubs and trees; installing an otter holt, habitat piles and bee and beetle banks; and creating shallow scrapes to hold water in the land, to encourage and support local wildlife.

A separate woodland creation project covering around 11 hectares of the land around the reservoir is also planned to take place later in year.

What we are doing

Work was carried out in March 2025 over a number of weeks to create these biodiversity improvements to the north of the reservoir. This included planting of wildflowers, heather, native shrubs and trees such as silver birch, alder, dog rose and oak.

We also created a bee bank, a beetle bank and artificial otter holt for local wildlife, as well as a number of scrapes which are designed to hold shallow water all year round and support aquatic wildlife.

A more landscaped area with a metal bench has also been created for visitors to enjoy, and bulbs will be planted later in the year.

We are currently seeking planning permission from Stirling Council to install a layby close to the area. If this is approved, we will share any traffic management measures that are required while work is carried out at the site.

A woodland creation project is also planned at the reservoir, totalling around 11 hectares of native broadleaf trees in addition to those planted in the biodiversity area.

Why we are doing it

This work is part of our commitment to deliver biodiversity improvements through our day to day operations and our annual investment programme to help address the nature emergency in the UK. For more information, our most recent Biodiversity Report is available here: Biodiversity Report - Scottish Water

Our woodland creation programme also seeks to improve biodiversity on our land, while helping to lock up carbon and protect our water sources but stabilising the land surrounding reservoirs. This results in less organic matter entering the water and making the water treatment process more efficient and less costly.