Yorkshire Water will begin drilling new test boreholes at its East Ness water treatment site in North Yorkshire this week to increase the water available for supply to customers in the area, as part of its long-term water resource management plan.
Photo: borehole testing at East Ness site
Boreholes are used to extract water from deep underground, where it is naturally filtered through soil and rock, requiring minimal treatment before it is safe to use.
East Ness is one of a number of prospective boreholes aimed at securing a sustainable water supply to meet Yorkshire’s growing customer demand, particularly pertinent during the drought and subsequent temporary usage ban in the region.
Andy Shaw, head of water production at Yorkshire Water, said:
“We’re always looking at our available clean water supply and what we need to do to meet future demand. Boreholes are a vital part of our strategy for maintaining supply in the long-term – and will help to build resilience into our network so that we can reduce the likelihood of water shortages going forward.”
Bringing the boreholes, which are being drilled by Marriott, into supply would provide an additional 5ML/d (five million litres per day), or the equivalent of two Olympic swimming pools every day.
The boreholes are expected to come into supply in 2028 and will service parts of the North York Moors covered by YO17, YO60, YO61 and YO62 postcodes.
Contract partners for the £14 million scheme, Mott MacDonald Bentley, will also be installing a 12km pipeline that connects the treatment plant to Yearsley Service Reservoir, which will store clean, treated water, before it is supplied to local customers and businesses.
The project is part of a £34 million investment over the next five years to introduce new water resources and bring and additional 21 Ml/d (21 million litres per day) into service. As part of this, work recently started to test the viability of new boreholes at Brayton Barff in East Yorkshire.
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