Borehole Drilling to Begin Across Scarborough For Wastewater Upgrades

Fourteen boreholes will be drilled across Scarborough from next week as part of a multimillion-pound wastewater infrastructure project.

Ground investigation surveys will begin across Scarborough this September ahead of a multimillion-pound wastewater transformation project.

Drilling for fourteen boreholes will commence on the 7th of September at multiple locations throughout the town. The twenty-centimetre-wide and eighty-metre-deep holes will allow engineers to understand ground conditions by monitoring water and gas levels within the soil and rock layers.

Capital delivery programme manager at Yorkshire Water, Lee Shepherd, said:

"We've been surveying the ground conditions in Scarborough for a few weeks already, learning the shape and layout of the land, and finding out what other utilities might be underground with ground penetrating radar equipment. Now, we need to gain a better understanding of groundwater, soil, and rock, and the best way to do this is by drilling boreholes at key points in the town."

The collected data will guide decisions on how to safely and efficiently improve the town's wastewater infrastructure. Contract partners Mott MacDonald Bentley, Socotec, and Central Alliance will carry out the drilling operations throughout the autumn and winter months.

Drilling sites include

• Livingstone Road,
• All Saints Road,
• The Playcentre car park,
• and Sainsbury’s car park.

Multiple boreholes are also planned for

• Northstead Upper Car Park,
• Upper Peasholm Park,
• and the Orchard Site on Ashburn Road.

Further drilling will take place at the Washbeck Close car park, the roundabout connecting Valley Road, Washbeck Close, and St James Road, as well as the green space between Caledonia Street, Ireton Street, and Gladstone Lane.

Localised traffic management and parking restrictions will affect those living and working closest to the sites. Residents in the immediate vicinity have been contacted with specific information regarding the disruption.

Following the initial drilling phase, the boreholes will be securely capped. Over the next twelve months, monitoring teams will regularly visit the sites to collect gas and water samples before the holes are permanently filled. A second wave of boreholes across the town is also being considered, with further information to be shared in due course.

Mr Shepherd added:

"Whilst we'll be working as quickly as we can and doing our best to keep disruption to a minimum, we know that this will impact those living and working next to the boreholes, and people driving around Scarborough. We've sent letters with more information to those most affected, and we'd encourage anyone who wants to discuss the work with us to attend one of our webinars and/or visit us in-person at one of our many drop-in events. Thank you to everyone in advance for their patience, understanding, and feedback."

Several in-person drop-in events are scheduled for residents to discuss the surveys and the wider project. The project team will be available at Peasholm Park on Wednesday the 9th of September, at Northstead Upper Car Park on the 23rd of September, and at Sainsbury's car park on both the 7th and 21st of October. All in-person sessions will run from 10 am until 2 pm.

Additionally, a series of online webinars will be hosted between 6 pm and 7 pm to provide further details. These digital drop-in sessions are scheduled for the 2nd, 16th, and 30th of September, followed by the 14th and 28th of October.

The infrastructure upgrades in Scarborough form part of an £8.3 billion regional investment programme running until 2030, which aims to improve customer service and reduce environmental impacts. Project officials are currently reviewing public consultation responses from the first phase of the transformation project and plan to share details for the second phase as soon as possible.

There are more details about the drop in sessions and online webinars at https://www.yorkshirewater.com/investing-in-yorkshire/investing-in-scarborough

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