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.
19
Oct
1,000 homes forced to boil water amid contamination fears
About 1,000 homes in Nidderdale are continuing to have to boil their water amid concerns about contamination.
Coliform bacteria were detected in the water supply at Darley this week.
Although coliforms are not harmful themselves, they can indicate that the water may be contaminated with other, potentially harmful microorganisms.
Yorkshire Water has told residents the risk of becoming ill is "low" but advised them on Thursday to boil and leave to cool water used for drinking, cleaning teeth and preparing food.
In emails to Councillor Andrew Murday, a Liberal Democrat whose Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale division on North Yorkshire Council includes Darley, Yorkshire Water said it had implemented a company incident management plan.
It said the boil water advice was “precautionary at this stage” and the company was “investigating all possible sources of the contamination”, adding:
This includes inspecting properties with private water supplies and carrying out checks on service reservoirs in the area. Unlike standard reservoirs, service reservoirs store treated water — not untreated or 'raw' water.
In addition to these investigations, we are also planning to carry out chlorination of the mains network as a further precautionary measure. This approach reflects our commitment to ensuring water quality and public safety.
The Stray Ferret asked Yorkshire Water yesterday (October 18) when it expected the problem to be resolved.
A spokesperson said today:
Customers may see more Yorkshire Water colleagues around today and next week, while we continue our efforts to get everything back to normal as soon as possible. We’re continuing to carry out investigations, collect additional water samples and, amongst other activity, will begin flushing our network tomorrow.
If customers are unsure if they are impacted, they can visit here for more information.
1