Yorkshire Water is set to begin phase two of its £1.3 million storm overflow project in Pool-in-Wharfedale, which will reduce the number and duration of discharges into the river Wharfe, improving both the environment and water quality in the river.

Contract partners Mott MacDonald Bentley are starting work today on Pool Bank New Road to continue lining 2km of the sewerage network to reduce surface and groundwater infiltration. This will reduce the volume of flow in the sewer, limiting the number and duration of discharges from the Crook Farm storm overflow, during prolonged or heavy rainfall.

During phase one, sewer lining was completed in farmland off Old Pool Bank.

Omair Khan, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said:

“We’re pleased to be getting started with the next and final stage of this project, which is part of our wider £180 million investment before April 2025 to reduce discharges from storm overflows.”

It is expected the project will reduce discharges from the overflow by 36% once complete. The scheme is set to finish in March.

Yorkshire Water recently completed work on the drinking water network in Pool-in-Wharfedale, replacing 1.4km of water mains on Old Pool Bank to improve resilience in the water network and increase the pressure of the water supply in the area.

Yorkshire Water has separately completed a £250k investment in Roundhay, Leeds, to reduce the number of storm water discharges into a tributary of Wyke Beck from its Lidgett Park Road storm overflow.

The project has seen contractors Galliford Try separating surface water and wastewater in the area. By creating a new surface water sewer, rainwater will go straight to the watercourse, rather than going through the sewer and combining with wastewater, reducing the need for discharges from the storm overflow.

The work, which began in early November, is expected to reduce discharges from the storm overflow by 35%.

Lumi Ajayi, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said:

“We are committed to reducing storm overflow discharges across Yorkshire and are investing £180m by April 2025 to do so, improving water quality in our rivers and at our coast. This work in Roundhay will cut discharges from our network by reducing the amount of rainwater entering the network during heavy or prolonged rainfall events.”

Yorkshire Water has also previously completed work to reduce discharges from its nearby Roundhay Park Lane storm overflow to improve water quality at Ram Wood Beck by making use of unused capacity in the existing network.

Elsewhere in Leeds, the utility is underway with storm overflow reduction projects in Pudsey and at its Lemonroyd wastewater treatment works, in addition to an £11 million investment in its Garforth wastewater treatment works to improve the water quality in Sheffield Beck.

In May 2023 Yorkshire Water announced it would be investing £180 million in reducing discharges from storm overflows in the final two years of AMP7.

Looking ahead, Yorkshire Water is planning to invest over £1 billion in reducing discharges from storm overflows across the county during the 2025 – 2030 AMP8 delivery period.