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11
Sept
Boreholes to be drilled on the Stray to tackle beck pollution
Three 30-metre-deep boreholes are to be drilled on Harrogate's Stray to help Yorkshire Water in its efforts to reduce sewage discharges into Oak Beck.
The 20cm-wide holes are part of investigative work to develop a better understanding of ground conditions and to monitor groundwater levels.
They will be drilled by contractors Ward and Burke on the patch of Stray between Montpellier Hill and the Esplanade over the course of six weeks, starting from Thursday (September 17).
One of Harrogate's culverted watercourses, Coppice Beck, runs underneath that part of the Stray, and eventually flows into Oak Beck.
All the becks in central Harrogate were culverted – covered over – during the 19th century, with the exception of a short stretch of Bogs Beck in the Valley Gardens. But most still flow underground along their old routes.
This 1829 painting shows a natural pond on what is now the Stray next to the Crown roundabout. Credit: J Stubbs.
Yorkshire Water's investigations will kick off the Harrogate phase of its £1.5 billion Yorkshire-wide programme to reduce discharges into watercourses from combined storm overflows (CSOs).
CSOs are part of the combined sewer network, which carries both wastewater and rainwater, and act as a relief valve when the sewer is over capacity. During periods of heavy rainfall, CSOs discharge diluted wastewater into watercourses to prevent the system from backing up into homes, gardens, businesses and streets.
Athif Khan, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said:
Our storm overflows are discharging more than we, and our customers, would like, and we're making good progress in bringing the frequency and duration of those discharges down. Last year, we saw a 24.5% reduction in discharges following the investments we've been making.
These boreholes are the next step in our plans to reduce discharges into Oak Beck and improve our impact on the environment.
We understand how important the Stray is for our customers in Harrogate, and we'll do everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum.
Once completed, we will return the Stray to its current condition. We thank everyone in advance for their patience and understanding.
The culverted Coppice Beck runs into Oak Beck just below Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre (Harrogate Hydro). Photo: Yorkshire Water.
Once investigations are complete, the boreholes will be backfilled, the area reinstated, and the data gathered from the survey will be used to help develop the best solution to reduce discharges into the beck. Ecology and arboricultural surveys have been undertaken in advance of theboreholes being drilled.
The £1.5 billion CSO discharge reduction programme, being delivered between 2025 and 2030, follows a £180 million investment in the couple of years prior. It forms part of Yorkshire Water's wider £8.3 billion investment into improving services and its impact on the environment.
There are currently a number of storm overflow projects being carried out across York, Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield, Rotherham and parts of North Yorkshire.
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