Meet Maggie - our Environment Action Co-ordinator
As our Environment Action Co-ordinator, Maggie’s job is to look into opportunities where we can make improvements on our sites to improve biodiversity – by making them more welcoming for all our plants and wildlife.
Our beautiful lakes are havens for wildlife, but you may be surprised to know that even huge operational sites, like treatment works and pumping stations can be rich spaces for hedges, woodland, and grassland, as well as attractive water features.
Rich plant life and rare birds
“It’s astonishing how much there is,” Maggie says, “For instance, we’ve found rare plants like orchids. I once saw a Red Kite at Bastreet Water Treatment Works. We get lots of birds, because many of our sites are relatively undisturbed by people and often relatively secure from natural predators. The birds love the flies that come off the water too”.
Maggie is also involved with the trees in our landscape, and their role in maintaining water quality. “It all works together” she says. “Trees help stabilise the soil, slowing the flow of water over the surface. This means that less of the topsoil is running off into the rivers. So, it has lots of benefits, not just for animals and plants.”
Maggie’s proudest moment
Maggie tells us that one of her proudest moments was when 14 key sites across Devon were selected to showcase what can be done to improve biodiversity. Maggie had submitted the management plans for each of the sites.
“It’s things like the way people are cutting the grass, or leaving scrub, or meadow areas,” she says. “It’s all about changing people’s perspectives and behaviours to realise new ways of doing things. This is the start of something big.”
New opportunities for everyone
So how can we all get involved? Maggie is excited by new opportunities for everyone to be part of future projects, “There are so many benefits to customers, because of the way this work feeds into the rest of the business,” she explains. “The peatland restoration means reduced carbon in the air. We’re speeding up our environment awareness and there’s already been huge behavioural change in the way we operate. We’re giving back more – for instance, when development on sites destroys habitats, we’ve pledged that we’ll leave sites 10-15% better than we found them.
“It’s all about improvement – not just doing what needs to be done, but going above and beyond”.
Our latest woodland project
In March 2022, a group of from South West Water, including team members from Estates, Commercial, Property, Drinking Water, Asset Management, Communications, and Natural Resources, led by a professional tree planter, planted 500 trees by Park Lake on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. The gorgeous location, a field very close to Colliford Lake, is now home to oaks, hawthorns, willows and birch trees.
“We’ve planted a whole new woodland,” Maggie says, “I love getting out and about, getting a spade in the ground, and seeing what you’ve done at the end of the day. Sitting behind a desk is not for me, not my idea of fun.
“I can do something in a day that will last a long time”.