Yorkshire Water takes over 350 private pumping stations

Yorkshire Water took ownership of more than 350 sewage pumping stations on 1 October 2016, but it still believes there are more to be identified.

New government legislation was introduced on 1 July 2011 which determined that by this October water and sewerage companies should take over the responsibility for privately-owned sewerage pumping stations.

Sewage pumping stations pump sewage from homes along underground sewers to the nearest wastewater treatment plant where it is treated. Since 2014, a dedicated team at Yorkshire Water has been trying to find hundreds of private sewage pumping stations hidden throughout the region.

Yorkshire Water transfer manager Dave Wilson, said: “Sewage pumping stations can be situated anywhere; in gardens, on public land next to houses or businesses, or just on the side of the road.

“Many are located in private gardens and land that we don’t normally have authority to enter which is why we’ve needed help from customers to find them. We’ve been working on this project since early in 2014 but we believe there are still more pumping stations to be found.”

He added that it is not too late for customers to ask for a free survey of a pumping station to check it’s eligible for transfer to Yorkshire Water ownership.

“Customers need to look out for steel access covers and/or a kiosk, usually green, which contains the electrical control equipment for the pumps.”

Eligible pumping stations are those which serve more than one property and connect to the existing public sewer network. If a pumping station serves a single property but sits outside the property boundary it will also be eligible.

The transfer could result in savings to customers of up to £1,200 a year in shared energy and maintenance costs.

A version of this story first appeared on WWTonline.