The Environment Agency has issued a drought permit that will allow Yorkshire Water to reduce how much water is released from the Grimwith Reservoir to “top up” natural flows within the River Wharfe.

The permit allows them to extract additional water from the river at Lobwood, near Ilkley, and to reduce the amount it releases into the river from Grimwith Reservoir.

The permit was issued by the Environment Agency on Friday 22 August and will last until 22 February 2026.

It will help to reduce the pressure on reservoir stocks in the short-term, as well as enabling recharge and refill quicker through the autumn and winter months. This is to protect water supplies and the environment after an extremely dry year and the declaration of drought.

River flows and reservoir levels in Yorkshire continued to recede compared to June. Following unsettled wetter weather in July, there has been a return to drier conditions in August, with rainfall significantly below the long-term average. Higher temperatures also continued; July was the fifth warmest on record and the country had the fourth heatwave of the summer in August - putting more pressure on water supplies.

Serious deficiency in water supplies

Claire Barrow, Environment Agency Yorkshire Drought Manager, said:

“Despite recent rainfall in Yorkshire, this has not been enough to refill rivers and reservoirs, and water supplies continue to decline.

“This permit will allow Yorkshire Water’s reservoir stocks to remain for longer, so protects that level of public supply.

“We only issue a permit if we are content that there are clear plans in place to mitigate any impact on the environment, along with strong evidence from Yorkshire Water of their ongoing commitment to reduce leaks and improve water efficiency.

“We will continue to work closely with Yorkshire Water as it develops the long-term solutions to protect water resources while drought conditions continue across Yorkshire.”

Yorkshire moved to drought status in June

Yorkshire officially moved to drought status on 12 June 2025 following six months of below average rainfall combined with high temperatures, which affected most of the country.

Reservoir levels across Yorkshire are notably low. The exceptional shortage of rainfall this year, and the possibility of a shortage continuing over the winter, led to Yorkshire Water applying for the permits to help alleviate water supply concerns.

To reduce unnecessary use of water and protect customer supplies and the environment, Yorkshire Water’s customers have been subject to a Temporary Use Ban (TUB) since 11 July amid a prolonged spell of warm and dry weather in the UK.

If Yorkshire Water use the drought permit for the River Wharfe they will need to inform the Environment Agency in advance. They will also need to carry out monitoring and mitigation to assess and manage potential environmental impacts.

The River Wharfe at Ilkley is a designated Bathing Water. The issuing of this permit will mean a reduced amount of water in the designated bathing water.