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Yorkshire Water has unveiled plans to invest £13 million to improve water quality at the river Wharfe upstream from the UK’s only designated inland bathing water at Ilkley.
The site in West Yorkshire, which was designated last year, has been classified ‘poor’ by the Environment Agency in its annual bathing waters assessment.
The money will be used to enhance disinfection measures at three treatment works; reroute part of the sewer in Ilkley; upgrade a combined sewer overflow (CSO) and investigate misconnections within the catchment.
Yorkshire stressed its own measures would help improve water quality but would be insufficient alone to upgrade bathing water as it called on stakeholders to tackle pollution at source.
Since Ilkley was designated last year, the water company has carried out a catchment assessment to understand factors influencing water quality and what improvements can be made.
Enhanced disinfection measures will be applied to effluent before it is returned to the environment at three sewage treatment plants, similar to how coastal waters are treated. Yorkshire said a project is underway to upgrade a combined sewer overflow (CSO) at Rivadale and an investigation will begin into misconnections and to reroute a section of sewer that will reduce discharges from CSOs.
Ben Roche, director of wastewater at Yorkshire, said: “We’re keen to play our part in improving water quality in the River Wharfe following the first Environment Agency classification of the inland bathing water at Ilkley. Our modelling indicates acting upstream of the bathing water, at our treatment works at Grassington, Draughton and Beamsley, will deliver the greatest benefit in terms of improving water quality via our assets. We are also assessing the pumping station at Addingham and considering green and sustainable solutions.”
Roche said the funding was additional to existing investment plans during 2020-25.
He added: “While our investment will help improve water quality, it alone will not guarantee an improvement in the bathing water classification. Our modelling indicates pollution is entering the watercourses from a variety of sources, including misconnections and agricultural land which the river and its tributaries run through. It is important other landowners and stakeholders take action to ensure water quality is improved in the future, with the ultimate aim of improving the bathing water classification.”
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