Yorkshire Water
Encyclopedia
Yorkshire Water is a water supply and treatment utility company servicing West Yorkshire
, South Yorkshire
, the East Riding of Yorkshire
, part of North Lincolnshire
, most of North Yorkshire
and part of Derbyshire
, in England. The company has its origins in the Yorkshire Water Authority, one of ten regional water authorities created by the Water Act 1973
, and privatised in 1989. The company has been part of the Kelda Group
since 1999.
Until February 2008, the parent company, Kelda Group
, was a listed company on the stock exchange, when it was bought by a consortium of companies.
Also known as Yorkshire Water Services Ltd., Yorkshire Water Enterprises and Yorkshire Environmental Solutions.
The company vision is to be Clearly the Best Water Company in the United Kingdom
.
In 1995 Sir Gordon Jones, the £ 189,000 a year chairman of Yorkshire Water since 1983, was forced to quit after a year of drought and public relations disasters for the company.
It is regulated under the Water Industry Act 1991
, South Yorkshire
, the East Riding of Yorkshire
, part of North Lincolnshire
, most of North Yorkshire
and part of Derbyshire
. The area is adjoined on the north by that of Northumbrian Water
, on the west by United Utilities
, on the south west by Severn Trent Water and on the south by Anglian Water
.
Yorkshire Water has met or improved on every leakage target set for the company by the Water Services Regulation Authority (OFWAT). 2006-6 figures are given at http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/aptrix/ofwat/publish.nsf/Content/pn2707
It serves 1.9 million households and 130,000 business customers.
in a convoy of trucks with 3,500 daily deliveries along the M62
in a drastic emergency measure which cost £3 million a week. The company has now built a pipeline from the east to the west to allow balancing of water levels to take place should the need arise.
pumping station failed, worsening the flood damage
of the city and flooding two thousand homes on the Kingswood and Bransholme estate. However the blocked drains were not Yorkshire Water's fault, but that of Hull City Council
.
In early 1999 the company took over York Waterworks Company, a small water-only company serving the city of York.
Reservoirs with public access include:
Full details are given on their recreation website. Walking packs and podcasts are available for free download for some of these reservoirs.
Other reservoirs include:
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, the East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, part of North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. For ceremonial purposes it is part of Lincolnshire....
, most of North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
and part of Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, in England. The company has its origins in the Yorkshire Water Authority, one of ten regional water authorities created by the Water Act 1973
Water Act 1973
The Water Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reorganised the water, sewage and river management industry in England and Wales...
, and privatised in 1989. The company has been part of the Kelda Group
Kelda Group
Kelda Group is a British utility company. It is based in Bradford, England. It was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, but was taken private by a group of investors in 2008.-History:...
since 1999.
Until February 2008, the parent company, Kelda Group
Kelda Group
Kelda Group is a British utility company. It is based in Bradford, England. It was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, but was taken private by a group of investors in 2008.-History:...
, was a listed company on the stock exchange, when it was bought by a consortium of companies.
Also known as Yorkshire Water Services Ltd., Yorkshire Water Enterprises and Yorkshire Environmental Solutions.
The company vision is to be Clearly the Best Water Company in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
In 1995 Sir Gordon Jones, the £ 189,000 a year chairman of Yorkshire Water since 1983, was forced to quit after a year of drought and public relations disasters for the company.
It is regulated under the Water Industry Act 1991
Water Industry Act 1991
The Water Industry Act 1991 is an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament consolidating previous enactments relating to the water supply and the provision of wastewater services in England and Wales. It further implemented recommendations of the Law Commission.-Sections:Part 1 deals with the...
Area
The company's area includes West YorkshireWest Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, the East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, part of North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. For ceremonial purposes it is part of Lincolnshire....
, most of North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
and part of Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. The area is adjoined on the north by that of Northumbrian Water
Northumbrian Water
Northumbrian Water Group plc is the holding company for several companies in the water supply, sewerage and waste water industries. NWG's largest subsidiary is Northumbrian Water Limited , which is one of ten companies in England and Wales that are regulated water supply and sewerage utilities...
, on the west by United Utilities
United Utilities
United Utilities Group PLC is the UK's largest listed water business. The Group owns and manages the regulated water and waste water network in the north west England, through it subsidiary United Utilities Water PLC , which is responsible for the vast majority of the group's assets and...
, on the south west by Severn Trent Water and on the south by Anglian Water
Anglian Water
Anglian Water is a privatised water company that operates in the East of England. Named for East Anglia, apart from Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire it also covers Lincolnshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, a small part of north Nottinghamshire and Greater London...
.
Environmental record
Yorkshire Water has received fines for breaches of environmental law. For example:- Yorkshire Water was fined twice in April 2007. The first offence was for allowing polluting matter to enter Clifton beck in BrighouseBrighouseBrighouse is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Calder, east of Halifax in the Pennines. It is served by Junction 25 of the M62 motorway and Brighouse railway station on the Caldervale Line and Huddersfield Line. In the...
, contrary to section 85(1) of the Water Resources Act 1991. The final incident killed one third of the wildlife along over a mile of the stream. A further incidents in the same beck led to a fine of £2,400 in 2004. Yorkshire Water argued that the blockage causing the offence was caused by a third party. Eleven days later, the company was in court again to admit to breaching its discharge consent at its Neiley sewage works, Honley. The discharge consent allowed for biological oxygen demand to exceed 21mg/l more than three times a year. The Environment AgencyEnvironment AgencyThe Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
demonstrated that the works had breached this limit five times in 2005, resulting in a fine of £16,000 plus £754 in costs.
- Yorkshire Water was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £9,051 in costs for supplying "unfit water" in May 2006 in a prosecution brought by the Drinking Water InspectorateDrinking Water InspectorateThe Drinking Water Inspectorate is a section of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set up to regulate the public water supply companies in England and Wales....
, under the Water Industry Act 1991. It pleaded guilty to three offences. Properties in Harlow Moor, Harrogate, had received discoloured water supplies in February 2004, which was caused by work on its supply mains stirring up sediment. About 1,200 properties were affected and 64 customers complained. The Drinking Water Inspectorate said to the ENDS Report that this was not the first time that the company had failed to check valves before working on its distribution mains. Prior to this incident, the DWI had prosecuted it four times.
- Yorkshire Water's largest fine, of £119,000 (reduced to £80,000 on appeal), with costs of £125,598, was received in December 2000 after pleading guilty to seventeen charges of supplying water unfit for human consumption.
- Yorkshire Water was investigated under caution in October 2008 by the Environment Agency following a leak of sewage into Whitby Harbour. The leak was caused by a pump failure and resulted in sewage leaking into the harbour for 52 hours.
Performance
From being the most hated water company during the "year of the drought" (1995), Yorkshire Water's performance has turned around so much so that the company was awarded the title "Utility Company of the year" by Utility Week magazine three years in succession while no other company has so far won it more than once.Yorkshire Water has met or improved on every leakage target set for the company by the Water Services Regulation Authority (OFWAT). 2006-6 figures are given at http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/aptrix/ofwat/publish.nsf/Content/pn2707
It serves 1.9 million households and 130,000 business customers.
1992 Sludge tip blocks River Colne Huddersfield
Landslip of sewage sludge engulfed a sewage works at Huddersfield in 1992. Almost 20,000 tonnes of sewage slipped from its Deighton waste tip on to the plant, and completely blocked 150 m of the River Colne. The disaster also forced the closure of a nearby ICI plant.1995 water shortage
For many months between September 1995 and January 1996 reservoirs in the west side of the region ran dry and water had to be taken by (up to) 700 tankers from the east side of the region near GooleGoole
Goole is a town, civil parish and port located approximately inland on the confluence of the rivers Don and Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England...
in a convoy of trucks with 3,500 daily deliveries along the M62
M62 motorway
The M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
in a drastic emergency measure which cost £3 million a week. The company has now built a pipeline from the east to the west to allow balancing of water levels to take place should the need arise.
2007 Hull floods
The company came under intense criticism when the BransholmeBransholme
Bransholme is an area and a housing estate on the north-eastern side of Kingston upon Hull, England. The name Bransholme comes from an old Scandinavian word meaning Brand's water meadow ....
pumping station failed, worsening the flood damage
2007 United Kingdom floods
The 2007 United Kingdom floods were a series of destructive floods that occurred in various areas across the country during the summer of 2007. The most severe floods occurred across Northern Ireland on 12 June; East Yorkshire and The Midlands on 15 June; Yorkshire, The Midlands, Gloucestershire,...
of the city and flooding two thousand homes on the Kingswood and Bransholme estate. However the blocked drains were not Yorkshire Water's fault, but that of Hull City Council
Hull City Council
Hull City Council is the governing body for the unitary authority and city of Kingston upon Hull. It was created in 1972 as the successor to the Corporation of Hull, which was also known as Hull Corporation....
.
Constituents
The authority created in 1973 took over the following public sector water supply utilities:- Barnsley Corporation
- Bradford Corporation
- Huddersfield Corporation
- Kingston upon Hull Corporation
- Leeds Corporation
- Rotherham Corporation
- Scarborough Corporation
- Sheffield Corporation
- Norton Urban District Council
- Rawmarsh Urban District Council
- Calderdale Water Board
- Claro Water Board
- Craven Water Board
- Doncaster and District Joint Water Board
- East Yorkshire (Wolds Area) Water Board
- Mid Calder Water Board
- Northallerton and the Dales Water Board
- Pontefract, Goole and Selby Water Board
- Rombalds Water Board
- Ryedale Joint Water Board
- Wakefield and District Water Board
- Yorkshire River Authority
In early 1999 the company took over York Waterworks Company, a small water-only company serving the city of York.
Reservoirs
Yorkshire Water does much to promote recreational use of its reservoirs. Available activities include walking, fishing, horse riding, cycling, water sports and bird watching.Reservoirs with public access include:
- Agden ReservoirAgden ReservoirAgden Reservoir is a water storage reservoir, situated at grid reference , west of the centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Yorkshire Water which is part of the Kelda Group...
- Angram ReservoirAngram ReservoirAngram Reservoir is the first of three reservoirs on the River Nidd in Upper Nidderdale, North Yorkshire, England, the others being Scar House Reservoir and finally the compensation reservoir Gouthwaite Reservoir. It is located at OS map reference...
- Ardsley Reservoir
- Baitings ReservoirBaitings ReservoirBaitings Reservoir is a large water supply reservoir operated by Yorkshire Water close to Ripponden in the Yorkshire Pennines. It lies in the valley of the River Ryburn and is the higher of two reservoirs built to supply Wakefield with water and was completed in 1956. The lower reservoir is Ryburn...
- Beaver Dyke ReservoirsBeaver Dyke ReservoirsBeaver Dyke Reservoirs are two water supply reservoirs near to Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The main reservoir was constructed in 1890 and has a surface area of 9 Ha. The water is relatively nutrient rich, but it has been known to suffer from potentially toxic blooms of Blue green algae....
- Blackmoorfoot Reservoir
- Broomhead Reservoir
- Dale Dike ReservoirDale Dike ReservoirDale Dike Reservoir or Dale Dyke Reservoir , famous for causing the Great Sheffield Flood, is in the north-east Peak District, in the City of Sheffield South Yorkshire, England, a mile west of Bradfield, eight miles from the centre of Sheffield, on the Dale Dike, a tributary of the River...
- Damflask ReservoirDamflask ReservoirDamflask Reservoir is an English water feature situated at grid reference five miles west of the centre of Sheffield in the Loxley valley close to the village of Low Bradfield and within the city's boundaries...
- Digley Reservoir
- Doe Park Reservoir
- Eccup ReservoirEccup reservoirEccup reservoir is a reservoir in Alwoodley, a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was first constructed in 1843, and later expanded. The reservoir and the surrounding woodlands are both Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The open water area is 91.3 hectares, making it largest area of...
- Embsay ReservoirEmbsay ReservoirEmbsay Reservoir is located above the village of Embsay, near Skipton in the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Yorkshire Water, and is used to supply water to the north and west of Skipton. It has a dam height of ....
- Fewston ReservoirFewston ReservoirFewston Reservoir is located in the Washburn valley north of Otley and west of Harrogate in Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1879. The capacity is about 3.5 million cubic metres. It can be found from the A59 road....
- Gorple Reservoir
- Grimwith ReservoirGrimwith ReservoirGrimwith Reservoir is located in the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is accessed from the B6265 road east of Hebden and west of Pateley Bridge...
- Haworth Moor Reservoir
- Hewenden Reservoir
- Holme Styes Reservoir
- Ingbirchworth Reservoir
- Langsett ReservoirLangsett ReservoirLangsett Reservoir is in Yorkshire, England, near the villages of Langsett and Upper Midhope, on the edge of the Peak District National Park. The reservoir was constructed between 1898 and 1904, and is now managed by Yorkshire Water...
- Longwood Reservoir
- Manshead Reservoir
- More Hall Reservoir
- Ogden Reservoir
- Ponden Reservoir
- Ramsden Wood Reservoir
- Redmires ReservoirsRedmires ReservoirsThe Redmires Reservoirs are a group of three reservoirs in Fulwood, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They are fed from the Hallam Moors by various small streams including Fairthorn Clough...
- Reva Reservoir
- Rivelin Reservoir
- Royd Moor Reservoir
- Ryburn Reservoir
- Scammonden ReservoirScammonden ReservoirScammonden Reservoir is a water reservoir in West Yorkshire, England. The area of the water surface when the reservoir is full is . The level of the bellmouth overflow above sea level is . The reservoir holds 7800 million litres. Its length is .-History:...
- Scar House ReservoirScar House ReservoirScar House Reservoir is the second of the three reservoirs in Upper Nidderdale, the others being Angram Reservoir and Gouthwaite Reservoir. Between them they attract around 150,00 visitors a year....
- Scout Dike Reservoir
- Swinsty ReservoirSwinsty ReservoirSwinsty Reservoir is located in the Washburn valley north of Otley and west of Harrogate in Yorkshire, England. Construction began in 1871 and was completed in 1878. The capacity is about 866 million gallons, with a surface area of 63 hectares...
- Thornton Steward ReservoirThornton Steward ReservoirThornton Steward Reservoir is a small reservoir situated near the village of Thornton Steward in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Yorkshire Water....
- Thruscross ReservoirThruscross ReservoirThruscross Reservoir is the northernmost of four reservoirs in the Washburn valley, lying north of Otley and west of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. It can be found from the A59 road...
- Timble Reservoir
- Tophill Low Reservoir and Nature Reserve
- Underbank Reservoir
- Walshaw Dean ReservoirsWalshaw Dean ReservoirsWalshaw Dean Reservoirs are situated between Hebden Bridge and Top Withins, a ruined farmhouse near Haworth, West Yorkshire, England, the reputed inspiration for "Wuthering Heights" in the novel of the same name by Emily Brontë...
- Whinney Gill Reservoir
- Widdop Reservoir
- Winscar Reservoir
- Withens Clough Reservoir
Full details are given on their recreation website. Walking packs and podcasts are available for free download for some of these reservoirs.
Other reservoirs include:
- Graincliffe Reservoir