Event Duration Monitoring (EDM)

Choppy waters

How do we monitor our storm overflows? 

All of our storm overflow are monitored to help us gain a better understanding of our network and any impact the overflows might be having on the environment. This information is fed into our near real-time map so people can view the current status of each individual overflow and the last time is discharged to the watercourse. We also provided monthly validated data of every individual discharge, so people don't need to wait until the annual returns data to understand how overflows are performing.

There are two ways you can view data on our storm overflows  

  1. Our interactive map that shows in near real-time whether our storm overflows are operating  
  2. Our monthly and annual storm overflow data which is published on this page.

Our EDM annual report

We share our EDM data with the Environment Agency annually and the 2024 returns are also published here to ensure customers have all the information they need about storm overflows.  

For 2024, we are publishing our Environment Act Storm Overflow Report which includes our annual EDM return data. To go beyond this, we have also included some additional data about whether the asset is a discharge that is permitted by the EA, the grid reference of the discharge and the waterbody that it discharges into. We have also included details of the investigations and improvement schemes we have undertaken as part of the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP).  

You can also have a read through the reports we’ve published in previous years.

Our 2024 data – a summary

 

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

Average rainfall (over the year, regionally)

1028mm

1078mm

989mm

915mm

1193mm

1050mm

Days >6mm rainfall

51

64

51

50

71

55

 

 

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024 

Number of storm overflows (with data)

697

2105

2087

2118

2167

2171

Total number of discharges

22,821

65,083

70,062

54,273

77,761

68,164

Total duration of discharges (hours)

107,836*

420,419

406,131

232,054

516,386

430,263

* 2019 duration corrected following Annual Return submission.

 

 

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024 

Average number of discharges for an overflow

33

30

33.6

25.6

35.9

31.4

Average duration of discharge (hrs)

5

6

5.8

4.3

6.6

6.3

 

Overflows operate during prolonged or heavy rainfall and the multiple storms in close succession lead to an increase in discharges as excess flows held in storm tanks can’t be treated before the next rainfall event. Despite a wet year in 2024, the number of discharges into Yorkshire's watercourses from our storm overflows reduced by 12%. The duration of these discharges also reduced by 17%. Importantly, the average number of discharges per overflow also decreased from 35.9 in 2023 to 31.4 in 2024.

These figures indicate we are making progress in this area thanks to the £180m investment programme in key storm overflows over the last two years. In total, 142 overflows have been invested in and these interventions are already beginning to bring down the frequency with which these overflows operate. The project is just the beginning of our investment in overflows. Over the next five years, a further £1.5bn will be invested in storm overflows throughout the region. 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.

How is the data pulled together and validated?

We’ve collected over 150 million data points during 2023 and spent time validating the data to make sure it is as accurate as possible. We do have some data quality issues which we are investigating such as where data is missing, negative or flatlining.

We have investigated over 650 overflows which discharge the most to understand if the data is representative of performance, with resolution activity and further investigations ongoing.

If there’s been an issue with the monitor, such as a failure or an environmental factor that’s caused a false reading, we’ve flagged the data and manually corrected it. We have a full audit trail for all corrected data.

Reports

Storm overflow annual returns
Bathing water annual reports
Monthly reports

We know customers are interested in the data behind our live storm overflow map so we’re publishing monthly data sets that you can view. The data sets look different to our annual returns as they show all individual events before it is put into the Environment Agency’s 12/24 discharge count methodology.

Find more information on how the Environment Agency regulates storm overflows

We’re constantly working to improve our data and make sure it’s accurate, but sometimes this might not be the case. Our monitors are sensitive, and they can sometimes provide readings that aren’t correct. We’re working on it and doing everything we can to improve the data we have available. This means that this data may change prior to our annual submission due to ongoing implementation of our validation and assurance processes.

 

What we’re doing to improve

We are seeing a combination of factors, from urbanisation to climate change, frequently testing the design and capacity of our network. At the same time, increased awareness of the operation of storm overflows is driving an important debate on what society sees as acceptable. We’re committed to going above and beyond the DEFRA Storm Overflow Taskforce activity in ending pollution from storm overflows.

In Yorkshire, we have 2,190 overflows and we know replumbing the whole of Yorkshire is an enormous task that would be both disruptive and costly to customers, and we need to ensure water bills remain affordable, but we are committed to playing our part to improve Yorkshire’s rivers and coastline.

To help drive improvements, with support from our shareholders, we’ve started a £180million investment programme to reduce discharges from the overflows we know are operating more frequently.

Storm overflows are a priority for us and the programme will be looking at four ways of reducing overflows - creating storage in the system for the stormwater, separating surface water out, stopping infiltration, or making changes to other assets like our pumping stations so we’re passing forward the right flows.

Separating surface water out could include creating SUDs, so we’re slowing the flow of water. We’re also looking at water butts so we can disconnect drainpipes from roofs and store the water for watering gardens instead of it going into our sewer system.

All of the work we’re undertaking will take us beyond the government’s storm overflow reduction plan and we’re already planning our largest ever environmental investment programme between 2025 and 2030.