Plans to fine Yorkshire Water £47 million over waste discharges have been welcomed as figures showed spills into the River Ouse lasted for the equivalent of almost two years in 2023.

Environment Agency figures showed storm overflows discharged wastewater including sewage into the York stretch of the River Ouse for a total of 16,357.41 hours, equivalent to around 22 months.

City of York Council environment Executive member Cllr Jenny Kent said a step-change was needed in the way companies handle spills and the fine should be a wake-up call for Yorkshire Water.

Yorkshire Water project manager Omair Khan said a new underground waste water storage in Poppleton worth £2.1 million was among efforts being made to reduce discharges into the River Ouse.

It comes after industry regulator Ofwat announced plans to fine Yorkshire Water and two other companies following an investigation into their handling of wastewater treatment.

Yorkshire Water, Northumbrian Water and Thames Water would be fined a total of £168 million depending on the outcome of an Ofwat consultation and negotiations with companies.

Environment Agency figures showed wastewater was discharged a total of 1,332 times from 20 storm overflows on the River Ouse and tributaries between Upper Poppleton and Naburn in 2023.

One storm overflow which discharges from behind Coney Street in York city centre spilled into the River Ouse 204 times for 3,649.5 hours, equivalent to almost five months.

A total of 132 spills lasted 2,143.5 hours at the Fulford Sewage Pumping Station, equivalent to almost three months.

The stretch of the River Ouse which includes Yorkshire Water's pumping station, the University of York Boat Club and Fulford Ings (right, north to south). Picture: Google MapsThe stretch of the River Ouse which includes Yorkshire Water's pumping station, the University of York Boat Club and Fulford Ings (right, north to south). Picture: Google Maps

At a storm overflow near Butcher Terrace, south of Millennium Bridge, wastewater was discharged 99 times for 1,469.68 hours, equivalent to around two months.

The 14 storm overflows on the River Foss and its tributaries between Strensall and where it meets the Ouse discharged a total of 430 times for 3,254.14 hours.

The total amount of time that discharges took place is equivalent to more than 135 days or around four and a half months.

RECOMMENDED READING:

They included 50 spills at a storm overflow in Strensall for 500 hours, about 20 days, and 72 at one in Haxby for 1,205.25 hours, around 50 days.

Elsewhere in York, there were 88 discharges into Tang Hall Beck at Navigation Road for 574.38 hours, almost 24 days and 48 into Germany Beck in Fulford for 44.53 hours.

Ofwat chief executive David Black said Yorkshire Water and others had routinely discharged wastewater into rivers and the sea rather than the exceptional circumstances as set out by law.

Mr Black added the proposed penalties showed the severity of companies’ failings and the regulator’s determination to make them improve.

Cllr Kent said Yorkshire Water needed to address its failures and invest more in infrastructure improvements in York but questions remained over whether they could do it quickly enough.

A map showing storm overflow discharges into the River Ouse and River Foss in and around York, with the size of dots denoting how many times/hours discharges occurred for. Picture: Environment AgencyA map showing storm overflow discharges into the River Ouse and River Foss in and around York, with the size of dots denoting how many times/hours discharges occurred for. Picture: Environment Agency

The environment executive member said: “This is a welcome, if long overdue step, the use of storm overflow discharges should be exception rather than the rule, yet it’s clear investment in wastewater treatment works is not at the level it needs to help clean up York’s rivers.

“The Ouse and Foss have suffered greatly from what the head of Ofwat describes ‘a catalogue of failures’ by Yorkshire Water.”

York Environment Forum chair Penny Bainbridge said something needed to be done to get water companies to improve but they were not sure fines were the answer.

The chair said: “It’s hard to decide what an appropriate fine or penalty should be, one of our concerns is that because they’re private companies there’s not a great deal of democratic involvement in them.”

Mike Gray, of the River Foss Society, said fines were a useful warning shot but may not be realistic given claims from water companies that they are short on funds.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said they had apologised for not acting quickly enough and were set to spend £180 million to reduce discharges by next April.

Two overflow projects are set to be completed in York city centre this year and a further seven outside of it to improve water quality in the Ouse and Foss.

A further £10.5 million is being invested into treatment works around York to reduce phosphorus entering watercourses.

Project manager Mr Khan said new underground storage at Poppleton would hold storm water during heavy rain before returning it to the network and for treatment.

The project manager said: “Ultimately, this will lead to a reduction in discharges to the river Ouse and help to improve water quality.”