The site is owned by Severn Trent Water who manage this landscape which changes throughout the year. Carsington Water is home to local and migrating bird species all year round, which can all be observed from the site’s bird-watching hides and wildlife centre. For the more active the site has numerous cycle paths and trails, an adventure playground for the young and a full calendar of outdoor activities at the water sports centre. Bicycle hire is also available. Children can have fun indoors and outdoors and there is a full events programme.

Although some water flows into Carsington from local streams, most is pumped in from the River Derwent when its level is high. It's taken out through a pumping station and travels along a 10.5km aqueduct, then enters the reservoir through the Control Tower. As England's ninth largest reservoir, Carsington can hold 35,412 mega litres (or up to 7.8 billion gallons), enough to keep one person in water for over 500,000 years. This wasn't the easiest place to build a dam. In fact, planning began in the 1960s, the go-ahead wasn't given until 1979, and part of the original dam collapsed in 1984. It was levelled to its foundations, and work on the new design started in 1989.

Water has always played an important role in the history of the Carsington area. The local landscape is largely shaped by water, Ashbourne is renowned for its mineral water, Matlock Bath developed around its spa, and Arkwright's water powered mill at Cromford revolutionised the textile industry. The valley has been occupied since around 2000 BC. A Bronze Age burial mound was discovered near the Visitor Centre, and excavations in 1986 turned up human remains, flint knives, scrapers and pollen samples. In Roman times, the area to the north was an important lead mining centre, and two Roman sites were discovered before the reservoir was built. The settlement at Carsington was abandoned not long after the end of the 4th century. The valley remained an agricultural area, mainly for pasture farming, until the reservoir was built. However, the importance of water is still reflected in the famous Derbyshire practice of well-dressing, possibly dating back to pre-Christian times, which recognises the importance of a regular supply of clean water.