Major upgrade planned for water treatment plant

Plans for a major upgrade of a water treatment works near York have been submitted after a £35m investment was announced for the site last month.

Yorkshire Water confirmed the investment at its work near Naburn was part of a wider £350m programme to reduce the amount of phosphorus being returned to rivers in wastewater.

Phosphorus is present in shampoos and liquid detergents and is a normal part of domestic sewage. A small amount is harmless, but, if left unmanaged, it can damage human and animal health.

Yorkshire Water's planning application proposes the installation of a number of "kiosks" and storage tanks across the Naburn Lane site.

Yorkshire Water project manager Lucie Arger said there were also plans to invest in reducing discharges from storm overflows into the River Ouse in the coming years.

Arger said: "The health of Yorkshire's rivers is incredibly important to us and to our customers.

"Reducing the levels of phosphorous in our treated wastewater is one way in which we can do our bit to improve it."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the application stated the works would not have an unacceptable impact on the environment, road safety or nearby residents.

"The development is appropriately located within an existing operational wastewater treatment works and has been designed to minimise impacts on the surrounding environment whilst delivering critical wastewater infrastructure improvements," the application said.

"Appropriate drainage measures have been incorporated into the design, and the proposed assets have been located and designed having regard to identified flood risk constraints."

Yorkshire Water's £350m programme covering 85 schemes follows a similar £500m investment to remove phosphorus from wastewater.

That project saw phosphorus levels in treated wastewater fall by 68%, the company stated.

City of York Council has not yet set a date to consider the plans.

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