Water firm cleared to top up supplies from rivers

Yorkshire Water has been given permission to extract more water from two rivers to boost its supplies during the ongoing drought.

The Environment Agency (EA) has issued a permit allowing the firm to draw extra supplies from the River Wharfe while the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has granted it an order to top up stocks from the River Ouse.

It comes after reservoir levels across Yorkshire dropped to 42.2% capacity following an extremely dry year.

Yorkshire Water said the measures were an “essential” step in protecting supplies for customers and protecting the environment.

The permit for the River Wharfe will allow the firm to extract additional water from the river at Lobwood, near Ilkley, and to reduce the amount it releases into the river from Grimwith Reservoir, the EA said.

Yorkshire officially moved to drought status on 12 June following six months of below average rainfall combined with high temperatures, which affected most of the country.

A hosepipe ban was introduced on 11 July, affecting more than five million people and prohibiting them from watering gardens, washing cars or filling paddling pools.

Claire Barrow, Yorkshire Drought Manager for the EA, said: “Despite recent rainfall in Yorkshire, this has not been enough to refill rivers and reservoirs, and water supplies continue to decline.

“This permit will allow Yorkshire Water’s reservoir stocks to remain for longer, so protects that level of public supply.”

Campaigners had previously urged officials to delay granting the permit as the Wharfe was already struggling due to lack of rain.

Prof Beck Malby, from the Ilkley Clean River Group, said: “I’ve never seen the river so low and I’ve lived here 30 years.

“So there is really very little water left for wildlife, for the natural habitats to survive here.”

Prof Malby said she believed the drought order should only be granted as a last resort and “not until we’ve done everything else first”.

Ms Barrow said: “We only issue a permit if we are content that there are clear plans in place to mitigate any impact on the environment, along with strong evidence from Yorkshire Water of their ongoing commitment to reduce leaks and improve water efficiency.”

The drought order for the Ouse will allow the company to abstract an additional 60,000 cubic metres per day at Moor Monkton, near York.

Dave Kaye, director of water at Yorkshire Water, said: “We have been communicating with our customers for some time about the need to save water and have seen a fantastic response to the hosepipe restrictions, with a reduction in domestic water use of 10%.

“This has helped keep more water in the reservoirs, but we’re taking action through the drought order to further protect reservoirs in the short-term and enable them to refill quicker in the autumn and winter months when rain is predicted.”