£500k investment at Williamthorpe wastewater treatment site

Yorkshire water has started work on a £500k investment at Williamthorpe wastewater treatment works, close to the Williamthorpe nature reserve, to reduce storm overflows.

The treatment works receives wastewater from homes, businesses, and industry in the area, as well as surface water running off from roofs, highways and pavements. This combined system can result in very high flows within the sewer network during periods of heavy or prolonged rain.

During these wet weather events, storage tanks can become full and trigger storm overflows that reduce the risk of wastewater flooding customers’ property. This investment will create 110,000 litres additional capacity taken the current storm water storage capacity of 155m³ to 265m³, significantly reducing the number of storm discharges occurring.

Contract partners Stonbury are completing the work, which is expected to take three months to complete. Yorkshire Water has contacted customers and businesses in the local area to let them know about these improvements to infrastructure and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

David Hobman, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “The scheme at Williamthorpe wastewater treatment works is part of £27.8m investment by Yorkshire Water to add 13,000m³ of storm water storage capacity to the network by March 2025. 

“There are 51 storm overflow capacity projects to this programme which are in addition to £180m investment by Yorkshire Water to reduce storm overflow use and improve water quality in our region’s rivers.”

“This includes £1.3m project in Temple Normanton to reduce storm overflows into Muster Brook.  We also worked with Temple Normanton Junior Academy to install SuDS planters in the school grounds to collect, clean, store and slowly release rainwater run-off from the school buildings.”