Yorkshire Water has created a Storm Overflow Alliance to deliver up to £1bn of capital investment in AMP8. The alliance is a significant and strategic partnership between Yorkshire Water, AtkinsRéalis, Morrison Water Services, Stantec, and Ward & Burke.
Yorkshire Water serves more than five million customers and 140,000 businesses, in addition to millions of visitors to Yorkshire each year, and covers an area of around 12,000 square kilometres. The establishment of the Alliance represents a bold commitment to addressing storm overflow discharges and the associated environmental impacts on river and coastal waters.
The alliance will be a truly integrated, high performing industry leading team that will deliver high quality sustainable solutions and world class performance for Yorkshire Water as it undertakes its ambitious investment plans for the next five years. The plans, which are currently awaiting approval from Ofwat, could see over £1bn being invested to reduce storm overflow operation in the region.
The contract will run throughout the AMP8 period for an initial period of five years, with the option to extend for another five.
As a dedicated organisation, the Alliance will collaboratively provide comprehensive engineering solutions, including strategic planning, design, management, and delivery of critical infrastructure. It will explore opportunities from increased storage capacity within wastewater treatment works, to smarter sewer network operations – with a key focus on blue-green solutions.
The partnership has a shared commitment to sustainability, to protect and enhance the environment, and to create social value. By prioritising local employment and engaging local supply chain partners with a focus on low carbon materials and construction methods, the Alliance will further support the communities within Yorkshire Water’s service area. It will also ensure efficiencies, so customers see value for money in the work that is being done.
Jon Stokes, Head of Storm Overflow Alliance at Yorkshire Water commented: “We’re really excited to get started with our ambitious plans for the next five years. We know we need to do more to improve our network, and this new partnership will help us to deliver our largest ever environmental investment which will create a significant step change in how we operate. Our storm overflows operate more often than we, and our customers, would like. This new partnership will help change that and bring wider benefits to the region such as more jobs and more green spaces for our communities.”
Commenting on behalf of the partner executives, Iain Sutherland, Managing Director of M Group Services’ Water Division said: “We are proud to be part of the Yorkshire Water Storm Overflow Alliance alongside AtkinsRéalis, Stantec and Ward & Burke, a collaboration committed to delivering tangible, lasting improvements to Yorkshire’s wastewater infrastructure. Together we’ll enhance the region’s storm overflows and the surrounding infrastructure and systems. This will play a key role in transforming river and coastal water quality, as well as the ecosystems they support.
“By adopting innovative technologies and sustainable practices, we aim to ensure that the benefits of this investment are felt for generations, fostering a healthier environment and a stronger future for the region.”
