Yorkshire Water plans £20 million investment at Sheffield reservoir

The project is to improve the way the firm treats water collected in Langsett reservoir

Built in 1985, the plant supplies around 200,000 people in Sheffield and Barnsley.

Yorkshire Water said that in common with most other reservoirs in the Pennines, raw water quality has deteriorated over time due to the peaty nature of the hills the water runs down before being collected in the reservoir.　

To counteract this, the three-year scheme will involve installing a new first stage treatment process designed to remove the peat colour from the raw water in the reservoir, prior to it being treated and sent out to customers. 　

Simon Balding, Yorkshire Water’s project manager, said: "Removing the deposits and colour makes it much easier to treat the water and will ensure customers in Sheffield and Barnsley continue to receive high quality drinking water. This is a big investment and demonstrates our commitment to providing the best quality drinking water for the area."　

Planning permission for the scheme was received in May and it is expected that work will begin in September.

Mr Balding added: “Langsett is a very popular place for walkers and other leisure activities, so we’ll ensure our contractors keep disruption to a minimum during this essential project.”