Storm discharges reduced in Roundhay after £250k Yorkshire Water investment

Yorkshire Water has completed a £250k investment in Roundhay, Leeds, to reduce the number of storm water discharges into a tributary of Wyke Beck from its Lidgett Park Road storm overflow.  

The project has seen contractors Galliford Try separating surface water and wastewater in the area. By creating a new surface water sewer, rainwater will go straight to the watercourse, rather than going through the sewer and combining with wastewater, reducing the need for discharges from the storm overflow. 

This work, which began in early November, is expected to reduce discharges from the storm overflow by 35%. 

Lumi Ajayi, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “We are committed to reducing storm overflow discharges across Yorkshire and are investing £180m by April 2025 to do so, improving water quality in our rivers and at our coast. This work in Roundhay will cut discharges from our network by reducing the amount of rainwater entering the network during heavy or prolonged rainfall events.” 

Closeby, Yorkshire Water previously completed work to reduce discharges from its Roundhay Park Lane storm overflow to improve water quality at Ram Wood Beck by making use of unused capacity in the existing network.  

Elsewhere in Leeds, the utility is underway with storm overflow reduction projects in Pudsey and at its Lemonroyd wastewater treatment works, in addition to an £11m investment in its Garforth wastewater treatment works to improve the water quality in Sheffield Beck.  

Yorkshire Water is planning to invest more than £1bn to reduce the operation of storm overflows between 2025 and 2030. 

For more information on the completed Roundhay Park Lane scheme, please visit: Yorkshire Water - Roundhay Park Lane Combined Sewer Overflow Water Quality Scheme