UK utility Yorkshire Water will be investing £318 million over the next 12 months as part of a wider £3.8 billion investment programme between 2015-2020.
From April, customer prices will be increasing by an average of just over 1% or £5, to £366 per year.
Yorkshire Water said this is the second cheapest bill in the UK and £33 cheaper than the national average.
Over the next 12 months the utility will spend £318 million on improving water and sewerage services, including drinking water quality and waste water treatment.
Earlier this year Yorkshire Water started work on a £13 million project to replace lead water pipes (read WWi story).
Richard Flint, chief executive of Yorkshire Water, said: “The challenges of a rising population, ageing infrastructure and climate change all come with a cost too. By making this investment it will mean we can continue to meet a rising demand for more water, mitigate the impact of weather events such as extreme flooding, and modernise our assets to enhance their performance."
Key schemes and projects part of the investment over the next five years include:
- Hull - £30 million at Hull Wastewater Treatment Works to reduce odours. This will include installing new aeration systems in each of its eight tanks to improve oxygen levels in wastewater to help reduce odour
- Sheffield - £24 million at Rivelin Water Treatment Works near Sheffield
- North Yorkshire - £4.8m at West Stonesdale Water Treatment Works to provide water from a more reliable source, reducing the risk of bursts, water supply interruptions and leakage
- Whitby – around £10 million to improve Whitby Wastewater Treatment Works including the sludge plant, tanks and washwater system.
- Flood resistance - £14 million in storm tanks to upgrade the sewer network to help protect homes from flooding.
- Water pipe upgrade - £13 million to replace old Victorian iron water pipes with modern plastic equivalents that will benefits 20,000 homes across the region and help reduce leakage.
- River improvements - restoring 379km of the region’s river environment to good ecological status in parts of the rivers Aire, Swale, Derwent, Don and Rother.
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Read more
Yorkshire Water to replace lead pipes in £13m project
£2.2 billion outstanding from unpaid water bills in England/Wales
