New government legislation was introduced on 1st July 2011 which determined that by 1st October 2016 all water and sewerage companies should take over the responsibility for privately owned sewerage pumping stations.
Sewage pumping stations pump sewage from homes along underground sewers to the nearest waste water treatment plant where it is treated.
Since 2014, a dedicated Yorkshire Water team has been trying to find hundreds of private sewage pumping stations hidden throughout the region. To date, more than 350 have been found
Dave Wilson, Transfer Manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “Sewage pumping stations can be situated anywhere; in gardens, on public land next to houses or businesses, or just on the side of the road. Many are located in private gardens and land that we don’t normally have authority to enter which is why we’ve needed help from customers to find them. We’ve been working on this project since early in 2014 but we believe there are still more pumping stations to be found.
“It’s not too late for customers to ask us to visit and a survey a pumping station free of charge to check it’s eligible for transfer to Yorkshire Water ownership. Customers need to look out for steel access covers and/or a kiosk, usually green, which contains the electrical control equipment for the pumps.”
Eligible pumping stations are those which serve more than one property and connect to the existing public sewer network. If a pumping station serves a single property but sits outside the property boundary it will also be eligible.
Once the transfer has been completed Yorkshire Water will take on responsibility for all maintenance, repair and energy costs for each pumping station. The transfer could also result in savings to customers of up to £1,200 per year in shared energy and maintenance costs.
Customers wishing to understand more about private sewage pumping stations and what they look like can find information here or call 0345 1 24 24 24 to report one.
Wood Group teams up for Australian venture
Seqwater has selected the Scottish-based Wood Group as its partner in a collaborative contract to maintain the South East Queensland (SEQ) Water Grid in Australia.
The innovative partnership will see the formation of a single maintenance team which provides leverages expertise and capabilities across the two companies.
Approximately 70 new jobs will be created within Wood Group under the five-year contract, which took effect on October 1, 2016.
Seqwater CEO Peter Dennis said: “The people in our maintenance team are experts in their fields. We wanted to extend that team by joining forces with an organisation we could work together with to build on our strengths and capabilities and help us to further improve our systems and processes.
“Under this new arrangement Wood Group is our partner, not just a service provider. Our people will work as one team to keep the water flowing and maintain South East Queensland’s extensive network of bulk water assets.”
Robin Watson, Wood Group’s chief executive, said: “Wood Group has 19 years’ experience delivering maintenance services to the water industry in Australia.
“This new collaborative contract is testament to our strong knowledge and broad capabilities, which will enable us to work with Seqwater to enhance value, efficiency and productivity.
“We will leverage our expertise in electrical, instrumentation, mechanical, pipeline and civil maintenance to support Seqwater’s diverse portfolio of assets, including dams, water treatment plants, pumping stations, bore fields and bulk water pipelines.
“Our commitment to developing local content where we operate will be reflected, with a focus on providing employment opportunities across South East Queensland.”
The five-year collaborative contract is valued at around US $30 million.
