Image description: Manual pumping station. Image by Markus Distelrath / Pixabay
Yorkshire in drought
Yorkshire went into drought in mid-June, with hosepipe bans enforced from early July. Reservoir levels continue to drop, holding just 62.9 per cent of their capacity compared to the early August average of 80.5 per cent. The picture for rivers is equally troubling. Nearly half of all river flows are running below normal levels.
Plans to divert river water
To top them up, Yorkshire Water has applied for an emergency drought order to extract additional water from the River Wharfe at Ilkley, which has long been a popular swimming location. They also applied to reduce the amount it releases into the river from Grimwith reservoir.
On Friday, this was approved by the Environment Agency (EA). The government quango admitted that “the issuing of this permit will mean a reduced amount of water in the designated bathing water”.
Threats to the River Wharfe and its wildlife
The river has been designated as “poor” quality due to chronic sewage and agricultural runoff, and a sign has been put up warning people against bathing in it. Campaigners say now the health of the river has been put further at risk with emergency drought plans by Yorkshire Water to suck water from it to top up its reservoirs.
Prof Becky Malby, from the Ilkley Clean River Group, told the Guardian: “The less water in the river, the more that pollution is concentrated from agriculture and from sewage, which means the oxygen levels will be low. When it’s warm and the river is in such low flow, the water heats up. This means that the fish in the river will overheat, suffocate and die. It’s a disaster for the environment.”
Outrage at Yorkshire water
The Guardian reports Yorkshire Water has been criticised for a slow response to plummeting reservoir levels and failing to build enough of them; there has been no major reservoir built in England in more than 30 years. The company has further been criticised for allowing sewage to spill into nearby rivers, including the Wharfe, receiving a £40 M fine from Ofwat.
After public pressure, Yorkshire Water is building new sewers around the river to clean it up. However, it was recently revealed Yorkshire Water’s Chief Executive Nicola Shaw has continued to receive £1.3m in previously undisclosed extra pay since 2023 through an offshore parent company, on top of her large salary and bonuses.