Yorkshire Water has launched a series of projects across North Yorkshire aimed at reducing the number and frequency of storm overflow discharges.
Five schemes have now begun in Weeton, Wass, Snape, Myton-on-Swale and Great Barugh as part of a £2.2m investment.
The work forms part of the company’s wider £1.5bn programme to reduce storm overflow activity across the region between 2025 and 2030, within a broader £8.3bn investment in water and wastewater services.
The current projects will focus on relining sections of the combined sewer network to prevent groundwater from entering the system. By reducing the volume of water in the network, the likelihood of storm overflows being triggered during heavy rainfall is expected to decrease.
They are the first schemes to get underway in North Yorkshire since the major investment programme was announced last year.
Further work is planned in the coming months, with six additional projects due to start in Acklam, Hebden, Malham, Sheriff Hutton, Bishop Monkton and Skeeby.
Yorkshire Water says more than 450 storm overflow reduction projects will be delivered across the region by 2030, with schemes either already in progress or at the planning stage.
Liam Thomas, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said reducing discharges remained a priority.
He said: “Our storm overflows are operating more often than we, and our customers, would like, and we’re going to be continuing our hard work into bringing the number of discharges down over the next five years.
“We already have a number of projects underway in Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford and Barnsley – some of which are almost finished and delivering benefits for the environment – so it’s exciting to begin to make headway in the north of the county too.”
The work is being carried out by contractor United Infrastructure and will be completed in phases, with residents being informed of any disruption.
The programme builds on a previous £180m investment between 2023 and 2025, which saw more than 100 storm overflows upgraded, including in Northallerton, Brawby, Kirkbymoorside and Langthorne.
Storm overflows act as a safety valve for sewer systems during periods of heavy rainfall, releasing excess water to prevent sewage backing up into homes and gardens.
Yorkshire Water says the wider programme will also include new surface water sewers, underground storage tanks and sustainable drainage systems to help manage flow and protect watercourses across the region.
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