Delivering peatland restoration for Scottish Water
Mackenzie Construction is delivering a peatland restoration project for Scottish Water, acting as principal contractor alongside specialist partner McGowan Environmental. The team is working in a remote stretch of upland ground near Backwater Reservoir in north-west Angus. The programme began in April 2025 and has restored over 330 hectares of peatland area to date.
The first stage involved detailed scoping by Mackenzie Construction’s in-house team. Drone surveys and visual assessments helped map out the terrain, identify areas of damage, and shape the restoration plan.
A number of techniques are being used on-site including peat hag reprofiling. This involves an excavator being used to peel back surface vegetation, re-profile the exposed peat to a more gradual angle and then replace the vegetation from the top back over the newly re-profiled slope.
Not all slopes can be re-profiled in this way. When dealing with actively eroding and exposed hags and gullies these are stabilised using geo-textiles including geo-jute before vegetation can then be re-established.
Peat dams are also being installed to restore natural hydrology. Without them, drainage channels would continue to cut through the peat, causing further erosion and slowing re-vegetation.
Restoring peatland limits carbon loss from exposed peat and improves the quality of raw water flowing into the reservoir below. The location brings its own ecological considerations as the team is working within a sensitive upland environment with protected species and seasonal constraints.
Regular ecology surveys and close collaboration with local stakeholders, including Forestry and Land Scotland, landowners and the local raptor group, are central to the project’s delivery.
Robbie MacLean, Contracts Manager at Mackenzie Construction, said:
“We’re proud to support Scottish Water’s peatland restoration work and play a part in reducing carbon loss from these upland areas. The project strengthens our long-standing commitment to improving water quality for our clients and it’s rewarding to see that commitment reflected in the landscape we’re helping to restore.”