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27
Mar
Yorkshire Water reduced sewage discharges into rivers in 2024, new figures show
The number of discharges from storm overflows into the region’s rivers fell by 12% in 2024, according to the latest data from Yorkshire Water.
There was also a 17% drop in the amount of time Yorkshire Water discharged to watercourses – which equates to 86,906 hours.
There are about 2,000 overflows in Yorkshire, and about 140 of those are in the Harrogate district. The average number of discharges for each one across the county decreased over the year from 35.99 to 31.4.
However, the reduction in pollution was not entirely due to improvements in the sewage system – it was partly attributable to the weather.
Nicola Shaw, CEO of Yorkshire Water, said:
We know overflows are operating more than we, or our customers, would like, but we’re pleased to begin to show progress on reducing storm overflow activity in our region.
The reductions in discharges in 2024 resulted from both a drier year than 2023 and the hard work of our teams to deliver our £180m investment programme.
Over the last two years, Yorkshire Water has invested in 142 of Yorkshire’s storm overflows to reduce discharges and improve water quality in rivers.
Last summer, the company invested £370,000 in two projects in Boroughbridge and South Stainley to reduce the number of storm water discharges into the River Ure and Stainley Beck by about 20%.
A 635m stretch of sewer was upgraded in and around Tang, Kettlesing Bottom and Kettlesing, near Harrogate, also to reduce discharges by 20%.
In Ripon, a £1.5 million scheme to construct nearly a kilometre of new surface water sewer is intended to reduce the number of discharges from the nearby storm overflow by 75%.
And three miles east of the city, a £900,000 project to separate the surface water and wastewater networks in Marton-le-Moor is expected to reduce discharges by 42%.
The sewer overhaul programme, which was partly funded by shareholders, focused on the overflows that were operating the most often, or for the longest time.
Eighty-four projects are now complete, and 58 more are currently underway.
In 2025-2030, Yorkshire Water will spend more than £50 million on projects in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Cattal, including two on the River Nidd: Dacre Banks and Nidd Walk combined sewer overflow.
Yorkshire Water’s figures have been published on the same day the Environment Agency released national event duration monitoring data showing a 2.9% decrease in the number of sewage spills across England as a whole in 2024, compared with 2023.
Spill durations increased by 0.2%, but the average number of spills per overflow fell from 33.1 in 2023 to 31.8 in 2024.
Alan Lovell, chair of the Environment Agency, said:
This year’s data shows we are still a long way off where we need to be to stop unnecessary sewage pollution. But it also provides vital intelligence that drives targeted investment.
Using our Event Duration monitoring analysis, we have worked with partners to secure £10.2bn from water companies to improve storm overflows in England.
While these improvements get underway, we expect water companies to do what customers pay it to do: ensure their existing assets are maintained and operating properly.
We will continue to protect our precious water quality and resources by holding water companies to account.
The discharge data comes just a week after Yorkshire Water agreed to pay out £40 million after regulator Ofwat found it was guilty of "failing to operate and maintain its wastewater assets adequately, and to upgrade them where necessary".
Yorkshire Water’s Ms Shaw added:
The reduction in discharges in 2024 is proof that we are beginning to tackle this issue for our customers and the water environment.
While we’re pleased to be going in the right direction, we know this is just the start and our work is not done to meet the expectations of our customers in this area.
We will be spending £1.5bn to reduce discharges further over the next five years. After that we are planning more investment to keep the improvement going.
Changing how our combined sewers and more than 2,000 storm overflows work across the region is a difficult task, but it is one we are committed to as we continue our aim to improve Yorkshire’s river water quality and coastal bathing waters.
More information about the investment into storm overflows can be found on the storm overflow investment page of the Yorkshire Water website. The status of each storm overflow in the region can also be viewed in near real-time on the website, here.
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