[2] Combs was built in 1797 as the first reservoir to feed the Peak Forest Canal (which opened in 1800) at Whaley Bridge.

[2] The reservoir is overlooked by Eccles Pike hill from the north and from the south by the Iron Age promontory hillfort Castle Naze, at the northern end of Combs Moss.

[4] Combs Reservoir is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

It is particularly important for its 'ephemeral bryophyte' mosses (such as the rare Physcomitrium sphaericum) and liverworts (Ricca glauca and Fossombronia wondraczekii).

The area is a rich habitat for birdlife including the great crested grebe, little ringed plover, snipe and lapwing.