Image description: Aerial view of Ilkley wetland project run by Yorkshire Water. Image credit: Yorkshire Water.

Work has officially begun on a nature-based wetland in Ilkley, marking the next chapter of a £60 million investment to improve water treatment and the water quality of the river Wharfe. 

The project forms part of Yorkshire Water’s largest ever environmental investment programme, running from 2025 to 2030, which will invest £8.3 billion across the region into infrastructure upgrades in a bid to improve their services for customers. 

Upon completion in 2027, the water company says the integrated constructed wetland will provide a final stage of wastewater treatment via natural processes. Water from the upgraded Ilkley Wastewater Treatment Works will be transferred under the river Wharfe to the wetland, where it will flow through six interconnected lagoons. Within these lagoons, a range of wetland plants will naturally filter the water, reducing reliance on chemicals or powered equipment, before it is safely returned to the river via a new outfall. 

The scheme aims to deliver multiple environmental benefits, including enhanced river water quality, an uplift in biodiversity and the creation of a more natural landscape that can be enjoyed by the local community from nearby public rights of way.