This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities...
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
    • Politics
    • Transport
    • Lifestyle
    • Community
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Education
    • Sport
    • Harrogate
    • Ripon
    • Knaresborough
    • Boroughbridge
    • Pateley Bridge
    • Masham
  • What's On
  • Offers
  • Latest Jobs
  • Podcasts

Interested in advertising with us?

Advertise with us

  • News & Features
  • Your Area
  • What's On
  • Offers
  • Latest Jobs
  • Podcasts
  • Politics
  • Transport
  • Lifestyle
  • Community
  • Business
  • Crime
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Education
  • Sport
Advertise with us
Subscribe
  • Home
  • In Your Area
  • Pateley Bridge

We want to hear from you

Tell us your opinions and views on what we cover

Contact us
Connect with us
  • About us
  • Advertise your job
  • Correction and complaints
Download on App StoreDownload on Google Play Store
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Statement
  • Comments Participation T&Cs
Trust In Journalism

Copyright © 2020 The Stray Ferret Ltd, All Rights Reserved

Site by Show + Tell

Subscribe to trusted local news

In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

  • Subscription costs less than £1 a week with an annual plan.

Already a subscriber? Log in here.

10

Jul 2024

Last Updated: 11/07/2024
Pateley Bridge
Pateley Bridge

Nidd expert issues sewage warning after heavy rain

by John Plummer

| 10 Jul, 2024
Comment

0

image-85-3
The River Nidd at Knaresborough

The man leading a group campaigning to improve water quality in the River Nidd has urged people to be extra careful entering the water after yesterday’s heavy rainfall and new pollution data.

The Nidd is popular for recreational use by bathers and wild swimmers as well as anglers and other water sports enthusiasts. But the government granted Knaresborough Lido on the Nidd bathing water status in May due to concerns about the level of pollution.

This means the Environment Agency is obliged to conduct weekly tests of the faecal bacteria E. coli at the lido and devise plans to act if the standard is deemed to be inadequate by September.

David Clayden, chair of Nidd Action Group, said eight of the nine samples so far had failed to achieve the rating for adequate. The most recent figure was particularly high.

Anything above 900 colony forming units (cfus) per 100 millilitres of water is regarded as inadequate and the last reading, on July 7, was 3,100 cfus.

Heavy rain often exacerbates pollution because combined sewer overflows (CSO) discharge more frequently to prevent the system getting overloaded.

Persistent rain also washes animal faeces into becks and the main river, adding to the E. coli concentration.

Mr Clayden said:

The E. coli concentrations would be expected to rise further in the next few days. 

There are 16 ‘currently or recently operating’ CSOs at or near the Nidd. Two of these at Waterside have recently operated, one for three hours, potentially affecting the Lido

In Harrogate, where there are many CSOs, the map has lit up compared with previous days, probably because of the rain. It looks like 17mm of rain — two thirds of an inch in old money — in six hours is enough to overwhelm our local network sewerage system.

Central Harrogate CSOs are very busy, and Harrogate North sewage treatment works and Bilton Lane sewage pumping station are currently operating via Bilton and Oak Becks.

unknown-2-47

A combined sewer overflow at Bilton Beck

Mr Clayden said four CSOs close to the Great Yorkshire Showground, where the Great Yorkshire Show is attracting 140,000 visitors this week.

He added: 

All are close to the Great Yorkshire Show currently extolling the undoubted beauty of Yorkshire. Let’s keep Yorkshire beautiful!  

Sewage concerns led to the creation of Nidd Action Group, which includes anglers, conservationists, academics and members of the public.

Water companies are permitted to discharge untreated sewage into a river after rain in exceptional circumstances but Mr Clayden said some analysis suggested ‘exceptional' was occurring too often. 

Mr Clayden called for an investigation into the issues and the impact on human health and the environment.

Star24-hour animal hospital opens in HarrogateStarCouncil refuses pub conversion near Pateley Bridge for fourth time