YORKSHIRE Water has invested heavily in a pressure management scheme which will drive down the number of leaks across the town - much to the delight of the council.
The water firm confirmed this week they had completed the scheme which will regulate water pressure in the network, in turn reducing the number of leaks and the likelihood and frequency of bursts.
The £300,000 project is part of a wider investment across the region by April 2025 to ensure the delivery of safe, clean drinking water and cutting supply interruption now and in the future.
The utility company has committed to halving leakage across the network by 2050.
The introduction and roll out of smart technologies - including smart meters in homes and businesses are contributing to mitigating leakages and bursts across the region, Yorkshire Water bosses say.
To counteract this, Gawber Road in Barnsley is one of the areas that has been targeted through the scheme.
Barnsley’s scheme includes the installation of valves, pipe upgrades and additional fittings and maintenance.
Combined, this will reduce leak detection times, improve efficiency and performance, enhance visibility and control.
Victoria Corbett, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “Pressure and flow monitoring points will give us better visibility and control of the clean water network in South Yorkshire and contribute to our overall smart network strategy.
“Spotting leaks early can stop them becoming bursts, which are both disruptive to customers and expensive to fix.
“Reducing bursts has a positive impact on leakage, interruptions to water supply and water quality.
“It’s an important part of our commitment to deliver a sustainable, reliable service to our customers.
“Greater visibility across the network, allows us to identify and issue before it becomes a bigger problem.”
It’s estimated that the upgrades to the South Yorkshire sites - which include one in Barnsley and three in Sheffield - will save approximately 580,000 litres of water per day, by helping to prevent costly and disruptive bursts.
The money saved can be reinvested to improve the wider network and enhancements at water treatment works.
It comes after the firm came under severe scrutiny due to the sheer number of water and sewage leaks in the town last year.
In Barnsley, sewage spilled into the town’s rivers for well over 10,000 hours on hundreds of separate occasions.
Some of the worst-hit are Darfield and Wombwell, where sewage has leaked into numerous areas.
The Wombwell Waste Water Treatment Works, off Ings Road, discharged a total of 54 times for 564 hours into the River Dove and Bulling Dyke in 2022.
Whilst last year it spilled almost 100 times for a total of 1,340 hours, or 56 days non-stop.
Coun James Higginbottom, cabinet spokesperson for environment and highways, told the Chronicle: “m pleased to see Yorkshire Water completing its pressure management scheme, including vital work on Gawber Road in Barnsley.
“This project is part of a wider investment across South Yorkshire to reduce leaks, prevent bursts, and ensure reliable, clean drinking water for our community.
“The initiative, which features upgrades like new valves and smart technologies, is a key step in Yorkshire Water’s commitment to halving leakage by 2050.
“I welcome this investment in Barnsley and look forward to continued improvements that will safeguard our borough's water supply in the future.”
