Recently a pioneering natural flood management scheme slowed river peak flow by 15 to 20 per cent, saving a small town's museum and several homes. As part of this scheme, special dams, designed to leak water gradually, were installed in nearby hills to slow the flow of water off the slopes. An upstream flood storage reservoir was installed, along with the planting of thousands of trees and the restoration of heather moorland, which acted as a sponge. Around half of the reduction in flood water in the town was due to the upstream land management measures, and half due to the effect of the flood storage area. Natural flood management measures improve water quality, prevent erosion and, in some cases, store carbon.