Yorkshire Water Explores Rainwater Gardens And Aero-Fac Facility For Scarborough

Yorkshire Water is consulting on plans to upgrade Scarborough's wastewater infrastructure, including the potential introduction of innovative rainwater gardens and a low-carbon Aero-Fac treatment facility.

Yorkshire Water is proposing significant upgrades to the way sewerage and rainwater are handled in Scarborough as part of a major local investment programme.

The £120 million investment in Scarborough is part of a broader £238.5 million package allocated across the Scarborough and Whitby area between 2025 and 2030. The primary goal is to reduce reliance on combined sewer overflows and improve local bathing water quality. Currently, Scarborough North Bay is rated as 'Sufficient', while Scarborough South Bay is classified as 'Poor'.

A key part of the strategy involves separating surface water from the sewer network to manage rainwater in a more natural way.

Miles Cameron, manager of strategic partnerships at Yorkshire Water, explained the benefits of reusing rainwater rather than sending it into the traditional drainage system.

Mr Cameron said:

"If we can get rainwater out of the system and manage it in a different way, that takes stress off your infrastructure.

And not just simply piping it away, that might be a solution, but what we're suggesting is you actually use rainwater, you create rainwater gardens, you create features, you create green spaces for people to use, and people take pride in their local area again.

So, again, one of the things that will be explored as part of the features scheme will be, where can we do this, where can we separate and where we can create those green spaces."

The water company states that the current system often carries both sewage and rainwater in the same pipes. During heavy storms, this combined flow can exceed network capacity, leading to discharges into nearby watercourses.

He added that treating rainwater as wastewater comes with significant financial and operational costs:

"Tt's got to go somewhere, where are you going to put it? You've got a number of options. As I said, you take the surface water out, the rain water, which effectively, you you're pumping and treating as a cost to us all, do you need to do that? Can you use it and treat it as a resource?

If you have to keep it in the pipes, does that mean pushing more forward for treatment? If you're doing that, you have to look at the size of your facilities. Everyone's probably obviously, the works up at up at Burniston and Scarborough works, put in many, many years ago as part of the urban wastewater treatment directive, um has worked well. However, to continue to put flow up there, you'll need to increase the size of it."

To avoid simply expanding traditional concrete facilities, Yorkshire Water is exploring an alternative, environmentally friendly wastewater treatment process to increase capacity.

The firm is considering the introduction of an Aero-Fac facility in Scarborough, similar to the system already operating in Withernsea. The company says the technology works through large, open treatment ponds where natural biological processes clean the water, reducing the need for energy-intensive mechanical equipment.

According to Yorkshire Water, the Withernsea site can automatically adjust to higher flows during busy tourist periods without the need for additional storm tanks or extra chemicals. It is also reportedly quieter than traditional treatment processes, produces no sludge, and generates very little smell.

Mr Cameron outlined how the technology could be applied in Scarborough:

"We got a unit called an Aero-Fac. Effectively, it's a very large area. It's a lake of treated sewage, but effectively natural UV disinfection, low energy, low carbon can treat sewage to a very, very high standard. It's been used across Europe and internationally.

It's something that will be explored. But again, it's done in consultation. To bring people along with Yorkshire water, is that the right thing to do? Why is it the right thing to do, but it's something that's being explored and again when we're talking to customers, stakeholders, this is about being open and upfront and transparent."

The proposals are currently in the consultation phase, with Yorkshire Water seeking feedback from residents to shape how the investment is delivered. Over 950 customers have actively shared their views through drop-in sessions at Scarborough Library and an online digital platform.