 The catchment upstream of the reservoir is a mixture of rough grazing land and moorland which covers .The water quality is assessed as "moderate" for ecology and "good" for its chemical composition.Under the Water Act 1973, ownership of the TVCWB's reservoirs, which included the three Baldersdale reservoirs and two others — Selset and Grassholme — on the River Lune a short distance to the north, was transferred to the Northumbrian Water Authority (NWA).