Utility combats odour issues

Odours from the treatment plant have continued to affect the local community, despite previous attempts by the water company to solve the problem.

Last month Yorkshire Water announced plans for around 50 new improvements to change the way water coming into the site is treated.

The improvements to the way we treat wastewater would be sufficient to ensure we can treat the loads coming into site without a repeat of the odour issues

Yorkshire Water programme director Nick Topham

One option involves putting lids on the tanks where the biological treatment process takes place.

This will mean the air released by the treatment process would be captured and treated by new control units. 

Yorkshire Water has spent £3.5 million on odour control in recent years, however the smell was still reported to have caused problems this summer, which resulted in protesting outside the wastewater plant.

Nick Topham, Yorkshire Water’s programme director for East Riding and Hull, said the company understood the odours last summer were unacceptable, and was now committing to prevent it from happening again.

“The improvements to the way we treat wastewater would be sufficient to ensure we can treat the loads coming into site without a repeat of the odour issues.

“We want to go further to ensure we have additional protection for the local community,” he said.

The company is setting up a £75,000 community fund to thank residents for their patience while the investment is carried out.

This will provide grants to local organisations for projects including environmental improvements, education, and work with vulnerable people.