Yorkshire Water begins work to reduce storm overflows in Farsley

Yorkshire Water is starting work in Farsley today (28 September) on a £900,000 project to reduce storm overflows into the River Aire. 

The works, which will take place on South Drive, is part of a £68m investment across Leeds to cut discharges of wastewater into rivers during periods of heavy or prolonged rainfall. Across the region, £1.5bn is being invested by Yorkshire Water to reduce overflows into rivers and the sea. 

Overflows from the sewage network on South Drive travel underground and are discharged into the river Aire near Rodley. 

Contractors M Group will be completing the work, which will see the installation of an underground storage tank capable of holding 8,000 litres of water. The tank will hold this during rainfall events, preventing it from entering the watercourse, before pumping it back into the sewer network for full treatment once there is capacity to do so. 

Once completed, the work will reduced discharges from South Drive No2 CSO into the river Aire by 57%. 

Work is expected to take three months to complete. While the work is being carried out, a section of South Drive, between the junctions of Thornfield Avenue and Cotefields Avenue will be closed. 

Lydia Mitchell, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “Many people may be unaware that this storm overflow exists in a residential area some distance from the river. The work to install additional storage at the site is vital as we continue our investment to reduce discharges into the watercourses in Leeds and the rest of the region. 

“This is one of many projects currently underway in Leeds, all of which are designed to help improve water quality in the area. Our contractors will be working as quickly as possible to complete this important work, and we thank customers for their patience while we work in their area.” 

Other storm overflow reduction projects underway in the Leeds area include: 

• Wyther Lane, Kirkstall 
• Kirkstall Educational Cricket Club, Kirkstall 
• Village Place, Burley 
• Spen Lane, Headingley 
• Fraser Avenue, Horsforth 
• Sussex Avenue near Hunslet 
• Jack Lane, also near Hunslet 
• Claremont, Horsforth 
• Canal Road, Armley 
• Temple Avenue, near Temple Newsam 

Schemes in Beeston and Stourton, which were some of the first storm overflow projects to begin as part of the £1.5bn investment, are already complete, and delivering benefits for Farnley Wood Beck and the River Aire, respectively.