Yorkshire Water announces new storm overflow project to begin in Harrogate as part of £1.5bn improvements
Yorkshire Water says it is to start conducting ground investigations on Harrogate’s precious Stray including the drilling of 30m deep holes.
The work on Harrogate’s much-loved parkland will begin next Thursday, September 17 as part of Yorkshire Water's ongoing programme to reduce discharges into watercourses after years of public concern over pollution.
The water giant is already pledging that it will return the Stray to its current condition once drilling is completed after six weeks and their investigations concluded.
The boreholes will be 20cm wide and 30m deep holes drilled into the ground to help understand ground conditions and monitor groundwater levels.
The information gathered will help Yorkshire Water decide the most effective and safe way of reducing discharges into Oak Beck from the network.
The project is part of what Yorkshire Water says is the Harrogate phase of its £1.5 billion Yorkshire-wide programme to improve combined storm overflows (CSOs).
Athif Khan, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: "Our storm overflows are discharging more than we, and our customers, would like, and we're making good progress in bringing the frequency and duration of those discharges down.
"Last year, we saw a 24.5% reduction in discharges following the investments we've been making.
"These boreholes are the next step in our plans to reduce discharges into Oak Beck and improve our impact on the environment.
"We understand how important The Stray is for our customers in Harrogate and we'll do everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum.
"Once completed, we will return The Stray to its current condition."
Contract partners Ward and Burke will drill three boreholes on the area of grass between Montpellier Hill and the Esplanade over the course of six weeks.
Once completed, Yorkshire Water says the boreholes will be backfilled, the area fully reinstated, and the data gathered from the survey will be used to aid the development of the best solution to reduce discharges into the beck.
Prior to the boreholes being drilled, ecology and arboricultural surveys have been undertaken.
Yorkshire Water’s overall £1.5bn CSO discharge reduction programme Yorkshire will take until 2030 to complete.