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23
Dec
Badly plumbed houses are polluting rivers – and Harrogate is a hotspot
The number of sewer misconnections being discovered is increasing every year, and Harrogate is a regional hotspot, according to Yorkshire Water.
Misconnections occur when wastewater pipework has been wrongly plumbed into surface water drains, leading to pollution from showers, washing machines and even toilets flowing directly into local rivers instead of to a treatment plant.
A misconnection can also come from industrial premises, resulting in chemicals or waste products being dumped directly into rivers.
Yorkshire Water has found a growing number of misconnections every year since 2023, largely as a result of increased partnership working and citizen science initiatives, such as water quality monitoring and outfall safaris, developed with local community groups and trusts.
In 2023, 142 misconnections were identified. The following year, 184 were found, and so far in 2025, 242 have been located.
Urban areas have been found to be hotspots – with clusters in Harrogate, Dewsbury and North Leeds.
Often, a misconnection isn’t done on purpose, but they can cause problems for drainage systems andseriously impact the health of local rivers and becks.
Clare Beasant, river health improvement manager at Yorkshire Water, said:
We’re working hard to improve the overall health of our rivers, and while that does involve a significant investment into our wastewater assets, it also means collaborating with local stakeholders to understand all of the factors that are impacting river water quality.
Misconnections are often discovered during coordinated searches with our partners and, while we’re disappointed in the growing number we’re finding, it is representative of the increased amount of work that we’re collectively putting in to protect Yorkshire’s rivers.
In an 'outfall safari' initiative coordinated by the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust over the summer, volunteers in Harrogate surveyed Bilton Beck, Oak Beck and its tributary, Cow Dyke Beck, and identified 64 outfalls, 29 of which were classed as polluting, largely due to misconnections.
Sarah Lonsdale, project manager for river enhancement at Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust said:
It's really important to us to spread the word about the Harrogate Outfall Safari and what we are doing with the local community to encourage their volunteer involvement. We recently shared our results at a local meeting which also proved very popular.
Helping people learn about misconnections, how to spot them and the potential damage they can do to aquatic life is invaluable, providing Yorkshire Water with important information about where there are probable issues with misconnections to inform their investigations. It also helps our work too, highlighting pollution hotspots.
Nidd project
The Nidd Action Group (NAG) was another of the local groups involved with the outfall safari project. NAG chair David Clayden said:
Our group was set up because of concerns about sewage pollution. We continue to encourage and support improved wastewater processes, but as we learn more about the causes and sources of pollution by working together with all stakeholders, citizens need to appreciate that sometimes we are the cause, not just the victims, of pollution.
Joint collaborative activities like outfall safaris improve our understanding and our effectiveness in improving our river environment.
When a misconnection is found, Yorkshire Water contacts the property owner with information and guidance as to how they can fix the problem. Local councils and the Environment Agency are able to enforce action should the issue not be addressed.
Of the 568 identified misconnections since 2023, 290 are still open cases and yet to be resolved by property owners.
To prevent misconnections – and the river pollution they can cause – Yorkshire Water recommends that householders use a WaterSafe accredited plumber when having work done on their property.
More information on misconnections can be found here.
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