Second phase of £2.6m investment to begin to improve river Rother

Yorkshire Water is set to begin the second phase of a £2.6m investment to reduce sewage discharges from its Treeton Mill Lane combined sewer overflow (CSO) into the river Rother from its confluence with the river Doe Lea to the river Don. 

The project was the first to get underway as part of a £73.5m investment programme in and around Rotherham to reduce discharges to local watercourses during periods of prolonged or heavy rainfall. 

Earlier this year, a pipe nest was installed off Mill Lane to increase capacity within the network. The extra storage will hold wastewater and rainwater during heavy or prolonged rainfall, before returning it to the network after the weather event so it can be fully treated. 

Contractors M Group are now returning to the area to complete work to build a new combined sewer overflow and decommission redundant parts of the network on Mill Lane. 

Vikki Overend, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “We’re in the second year of a £1.5bn investment to reduce sewage discharges into the region’s rivers and seas. This project is the second to get underway in Rotherham as part of a £73.5m investment in the town’s environment. 

“This is important work and investment we know our customers want to see delivered in their area to help improve water quality in the Rother, Doe Lea and Don. We have worked closely with Rotheram Council highways teams to ensure this work is planned to cause as little disruption as possible, and we thank people in the area for their patience and understanding while this project is carried out.” 

To keep everyone safe while work is underway, there will be a road closure on Mill Lane from Monday 20 July to Friday 28 August. This has been timed in line with the school holidays to minimise the impact on road users while we carry out this essential work. 

Vikki added: “We understand how road closures like this can impact those who rely on public transport, which is why we’ve been working with Rotherham Highways and Rotherham Council to provide a free replacement shuttle bus, operated by SMT, to replace impacted bus services during the weeks where the road will be closed. The bus will be a free service for customers, and fares will be covered by Yorkshire Water. 

Further Rotherham-based storm overflow projects are already underway as part of the £73.5m environmental investment in the area. A £2.3m scheme has begun to reduce the number of discharges into Herringthorpe Beck, a tributary of the river Don, from the Clifton Lord Street overflow. The project will add extra storage capacity to the sewer network with the construction of a new 80m³ storm tank.