£73.5m investment to improve Rotherham’s rivers to begin

The first of 27 projects, totalling an investment of £73.5m in the Rotherham area to reduce sewer discharges into watercourses across the region, starts next week with a new storm overflow project at Lord Street. 

The £2.3m scheme will add extra storm water storage capacity to the sewer network with the construction of a new 80m³ storm tank. New pipework and an overhaul of the existing combined sewer overflow chamber will reduce the number of discharges into Herringthorpe Beck, a tributary of the river Don, from the Clifton Lord Street overflow. 

Vikki Overend, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “This is one of the first of 27 projects to improve overflows in the Rotherham area, with a combined investment of £73.5m.  These projects aim to reduce the number and duration of wastewater discharges into local watercourses following periods of prolonged or heavy rain. 

“Our project partners, Ward & Burke, are due to start the site set up on Monday 15 June and will begin construction of the new storage facility in early July.  This will take place within a secure boundary of four empty allotments plots that will be fully reinstated, so that they can be brought back into community use on completion next year.” 

Yorkshire Water is delivering its largest ever environmental investment programme, with £8.3bn set to be invested across the region over the next five years to upgrade infrastructure and improve services for our customers. 

This includes £1.5bn towards reducing the need for storm overflow discharges by building brand new: 

• surface water sewers 
• underground storage tanks 
• nature-based solutions 
• sustainable drainage systems 

These solutions will help to support the sewer network to deliver cleaner and healthier rivers and coastal waters. 

Allotment holders will be able to access Clifton allotments throughout the duration of the scheme and won’t be impacted by this work.