More river-polluting misconnections found year-on-year in Yorkshire, according to Yorkshire Water
The number of sewer misconnections, where wastewater pipework has been plumbed into surface water sewers incorrectly, uncovered by Yorkshire Water in partnership with local community groups and trusts, is increasing every year.
Misconnections can include wastewater from toilets, sinks, and household appliances plumbed into a surface water drain which takes flows straight to local watercourses instead of to a treatment site.
A misconnection can also come from industrial premises leading to chemicals or waste products being discharged directly to rivers.
Often, a misconnection isn’t done on purpose, but they can cause problems for drainage systems and impact the health of local rivers and becks.
Working with local community groups and trusts, Yorkshire Water has found a growing number of misconnections every year since 2023, as a result of increased partnership working and citizen science initiatives, such as water quality monitoring and outfall safaris.
142 misconnections were identified in 2023, 184 were found in 2024, and to-date, 242 have been located this year.
Urban areas have been found to be hotspots.
Clare Beasant, River Health Improvement Manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “We’re working hard to improve the overall health of our rivers, and while that does involve a significant investment into our wastewater assets, it also means collaborating with local stakeholders to understand all of the factors that are impacting river water quality.
“Misconnections are often discovered during coordinated searches with our partners and, while we’re disappointed in the growing number we’re finding, it is representative of the increased amount of work that we’re collectively putting in to protect Yorkshire’s rivers.
"Very recently, we worked with the Aire Rivers Trust to assess 295 pipes on the North Leeds stretch of the River Aire, finding 20 of them to be misconnected and having an impact on the watercourse.
"A similar project in partnership with the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust helped us identify more misconnections for investigation in the Harrogate area.”
When a misconnection is found, Yorkshire Water contacts the property owners with information and guidance as to how they can fix the problem. Local councils and the Environment Agency are able to enforce action should the issue not be addressed.
Of the 568 identified misconnections since 2023, 290 are still open cases and yet to be resolved by property owners.