More details released about project to reduce Thorpe Hesley storm overflow
“Our storm overflows are highly regulated with permits provided by the Environment Agency.”
A £5.8m investment into storage systems to reduce storm overflow discharge in Thorpe Hesley will take up to 12 months.
Tracy Milnes, Media Advisor for Yorkshire Water has clarified that both storage tanks will be on private land, and that local residents have been contacted and made aware.
She said that there won’t be any travel disruptions, and that contractors will be operating under usual noise controls.
She added that there will be no overnight work taking place.
The project is taking place because storm overflows have been affecting Thorpe Hesley for six years, with the number of spills at Eldertree Road rising from 22 to 38.
A total of £1.8m will be invested into Eldertree Road, and £4m will be used to install an underground pipe storage system at Wentworth Road.
Eldertree road is expected to take around 12 months, and work at Wentworth Road is projected to take 10 months.
The tanks will add an additional storage capacity of 638,000 litres to hold excess wastewater, which Ms Milnes says will help during periods of bad weather.
Ms Milnes also added that this quantity is the equivalent of 4,253 bathtubs, for scale.
She said this “protects properties from flooding and prevents sewage backing up into homes or gardens.”
When asked how Yorkshire Water will measure the improvements, she said: “Our storm overflows are highly regulated with permits provided by the Environment Agency.”
She added that they ‘closely monitor’ how their overflows are performing and will report any activity that goes outside of permit conditions to the Environment Agency.
The work is part of a larger five year investment plan of £1.5bn to improve infrastructure and performance of water networks, and reduce the risk of flooding and storm discharges.
Ms Milnes also said this will help to improve water quality.