Leeds road closure in place for three months as £900k Yorkshire Water project begins
The project has begun today
A £900,000 project in Leeds to reduce sewage discharges into the River Aire has begun, with a road closure in place for around three months.
Yorkshire Water is carrying out the work in Farsley to reduce storm overflows, part of a £68m investment across Leeds to cut discharges of wastewater into rivers during periods of heavy rainfall.
South Drive is closed between the junctions with Thornfield Avenue and Cotefields Avenue while Yorkshire Water carries out the work.
The project, which began today (Monday, September 28), will see an underground storage tank installed beneath the road.
The 8,000-litre tank will temporarily store water during periods of heavy or prolonged rainfall, preventing it from entering the watercourse.
It will then be pumped back into the sewer network for full treatment once there is enough capacity.
Yorkshire Water said the work will reduce discharges from the South Drive No2 combined sewer overflow (CSO) into the River Aire by 57%.
The overflow is located in a residential area on South Drive, with discharges travelling underground before entering the River Aire near Rodley.
The work is expected to take around three months.
Lydia Mitchell, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “Many people may be unaware that this storm overflow exists in a residential area some distance from the river.
“The work to install additional storage at the site is vital as we continue our investment to reduce discharges into the watercourses in Leeds and the rest of the region.”
She added: “Our contractors will be working as quickly as possible to complete this important work, and we thank customers for their patience while we work in their area.”