The River Ribble, along with its major tributaries the Hodder, Calder and Darwen, drains an area of 575 square miles, otherwise known as the Ribble catchment.

Covering a varied landscape, the Ribble catchment ranges from the rural hills of the Yorkshire Dales and the source of the River Ribble, to major urban areas of Lancashire including Blackburn, Burnley and Preston.

The Ribble catchment is home to over 1.25 million people, which places a wide range of pressures and impacts on our water environment from everyday activities. It is important to recognise that actions in one part of the catchment can have impacts in another, and that the activities of a set of users can affect the interest of others.

Home to an array of habitats, the Ribble catchment supports diverse wildlife including fish, otters, water voles and white-clawed crayfish, as well as a wide variety of birdlife and other important wetland features. It is vitally important that we manage the Ribble catchment for the benefit of present and future generations.