Pipe cleaning to keep Yorkshire tap water tasty and crystal clear for millions of people

Aug 22, 2016

We have embarked on a projected £13.5m scheme to improve the taste and appearance of tap water for millions of people by ‘flush’ cleaning large sections of our 31,000 kilometre underground pipe network.

The project, which is ongoing, will improve water quality by reducing the presence of natural sediment in water that over time can stick to the inner lining of old Victorian era cast iron pipes.

These deposits, such as iron and manganese, can on occasion if disturbed, cause discoloured water to come out of taps, which in our experience is unlikely to be harmful to health.

To help prevent this, the multi-million pound scheme will involve specialist technicians systematically operating valves on water mains in thousands of streets across the region. This will enable water to be flushed through the pipes at high speed, which stirs up and removes any historic mineral deposits. David Stevenson, Head of Water Distribution, said: "Our mission is to provide water to people that is clean and safe to drink. Drinking water quality within Yorkshire is already excellent with 99.95% of around 500,000 water tests we carried out in the last year meeting the stringent standards set by the Drinking Water Inspectorate. However, this project will improve water quality even further."

In order to deliver the scheme, no road closures will be required and only a few days will be spent in each area, causing little disruption. Letters will also be sent to all residents in advance of flushing works being carried out on their street to provide further advice and information.

David Stevenson added: "Whilst the flushing takes place it may cause a slight change in the colour of tap water for a couple of hours. Any discolouration can be solved by running the kitchen tap until the water runs clear and can be consumed."

Yorkshire Water’s 31,000 kilometres of pipework includes sections of cast iron pipes, which over time can corrode and give an orange-brown discolouration. We are currently in the process of replacing hundreds of lead pipes from our network with modern plastic ones to ensure it continues to exceed water quality regulations.

Yorkshire Water, and our service partner RPS, will be carrying out the water quality improvements to ensure tap water continues to meet the high expectation of customers. Within the last five years, we have reduced water quality customer contacts by 14% and aim to reduce these even further within the next two years.

Robert Light, Northern Chair for the Consumer Council for Water, said: "Customer satisfaction with tap water is already very high, but this investment shows Yorkshire Water is committed to keeping it that way. While the number of customers receiving discoloured water is low, it can affect their quality of life. That’s why we welcome this investment."

Nearly three quarters of tap water in Yorkshire comes from rivers and reservoirs due to the topography of the region. The rest comes from underground aquifers, which are based mainly in Humberside.

Additional improvements to water quality are also being made by undertaking catchment management activity in areas where water is abstracted from reservoirs, rivers and underground aquifers. This involves us working with farmers, landowners and other stakeholders to minimise the impact that naturally occurring nutrients have on water courses that requires expensive water treatment processes to remove.

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United Kingdom

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