Yorkshire Water takes ownership of more than 350 sewage pumping stations including 32 in Harrogate

On 1 October 2016 Yorkshire Water took ownership of more than 350 sewage pumping stations.

New government legislation was introduced on 1st July 2011 which determined that by 1 October 2016 all water and sewerage companies should take over the responsibility for privately owned sewerage pumping stations.

Sewage pumping stations pump sewage from homes along underground sewers to the nearest waste water treatment plant where it is treated. Since 2014 a dedicated team at Yorkshire Water has been trying to find hundreds of private sewage pumping stations hidden throughout the region.

To date, over 350 have been found, of these 32 have been in the Harrogate area but the company believes there are still more to be identified.

Dave Wilson, Transfer Manager at Yorkshire Water, said:

Sewage pumping stations can be situated anywhere; in gardens, on public land next to houses or businesses, or just on the side of the road.  Many are located in private gardens and land that we don’t normally have authority to enter which is why we’ve needed help from customers to find them. We’ve been working on this project since early in 2014 but we believe there are still more pumping stations to be found.

Dave encouraged customers to get in touch:

It’s not too late for customers to ask us to visit and a survey a pumping station free of charge to check it’s eligible for transfer to Yorkshire Water ownership. Customers need to look out for steel access covers and/or a kiosk, usually green, which contains the electrical control equipment for the pumps.

Eligible pumping stations are those which serve more than one property and connect to the existing public sewer network. If a pumping station serves a single property but sits outside the property boundary it will also be eligible.

Once the transfer has been completed Yorkshire Water will take on responsibility for all maintenance, repair and energy costs for each pumping station. The transfer could also result in savings to customers of up to £1,200 per year in shared energy and maintenance costs.

Customers wishing to understand more about private sewage pumping stations and what they look like can find information on the company’s website or call 0345 1 24 24 24 to report one.