Yorkshire Water investing £4.2m in Cheese Bottom wastewater treatment works

Yorkshire Water is investing £4.2m in its Cheese Bottom wastewater treatment works in Thurgoland, Barnsley, to improve water quality in the river Don. 

The project, delivered by Ward and Burke, will reduce the amount of Phosphorus in the wastewater returned to the river Don post treatment – improving the water quality of over 7.4km of the watercourse downstream of the works. This project is part of a £500m investment by 2025 in Phosphorus removal throughout Yorkshire. 

The project follows similar schemes at five other wastewater treatment works around Barnsley - Darton, Crofton, Grimethorpe, Wombwell and Worsborough - with £11m being spent to reduce the amount of Phosphorus entering the local watercourses. 

Phosphorus is a normal part of domestic sewage, entering the sewer system via domestic showers and washing machines due to products such as shampoo and liquid detergent containing Phosphorus. It can also wash off from agricultural fields after the use of fertilisers and be dissolved from soil which can be difficult to control. 

While a small amount of Phosphorus is harmless and is an essential part of many ecosystems, it can become damaging to human and animal life when unmanaged. 

The work includes upgrades to the works and the installation of new chemical dosing equipment, as part of Yorkshire Water’s commitment to the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP).  

Already underway, the project is expected to be completed in winter. 

Rich Tomlinson, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “We have a number of Phosphorus reduction schemes planned across Yorkshire, including five others around the Barnsley area, as part of our ongoing commitment to improving water quality in our rivers. It’s important to us and our customers that we look after our local environment and help it thrive. Once completed, this project will reduce the amount of Phosphorus entering the river.” 

Yorkshire Water recently announced a further £9.3m investment into improving river quality in Barnsley through schemes reducing the number and duration of discharges from four storm overflows in the area. These include Cloughfields, Church Street, Elsecar and Cudworth, reducing discharges into a tributary of Harley Dike, Jump Valley Strean, Knoll Beck, and Small Bridge Dike, respectively.