Yorkshire Area (North Area Catchments) - Notice of Application for Drought Permits

YORKSHIRE WATER SERVICES LTD
NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR DROUGHT PERMITS

North Area Catchments

TAKE NOTICE that due to the threat of a serious water shortage in the Yorkshire area caused by an exceptional shortage of rain, YORKSHIRE WATER SERVICES LIMITED (company number 02366682) whose registered office is at Western House, Halifax Road, Bradford, BD6 2SZ is applying to the Environment Agency for five drought permits in the North Area catchments under section 79a of the Water Resources Act 1991 (as amended).

The drought permits are intended to apply for a period of six months from date of issue and propose to reduce the compensation releases from Leighton Reservoir, Lindley Wood Reservoir, Beaver Dyke Reservoir, Lumley Moor Reservoir and Thruscross Reservoir.

Leighton Reservoir (SE 16 78) Yorkshire Water under the terms of the abstraction licence number 2/27/22/210, must release water from Leighton Reservoir to compensate the downstream receiving water course, Pott Beck. Under the licence conditions, Yorkshire Water must continuously discharge not less than 12.10 megalitres per day.

The drought permit application for Leighton Reservoir is to provide a continuous release of 6.05 megalitres per day, which could be reduced further to 3.99 megalitres per day if regional reservoir stocks were below the regional Drought Control Line for four consecutive weeks or more, as defined in the Yorkshire Water Drought Plan.

Lindley Wood Reservoir (SE 21 49) Yorkshire Water under the terms of the Leeds Corporation (Consolidation) Act 1905, must release water from Lindley Wood Reservoir to compensate the downstream receiving water course, the River Washburn. Yorkshire Water currently operate the compensation flow under the terms of an LEP held with the Environment Agency, whereby we must continuously discharge not less than 18.185 megalitres per day.

The drought permit application for Lindley Wood Reservoir is to provide a continuous release of 9.09 megalitres, which could be reduced further to 6.00 per day if regional reservoir stocks were below the regional Drought Control Line for four consecutive weeks or more, as defined in the Yorkshire Water Drought Plan.

Beaver Dyke Reservoir (SE 22 54) Yorkshire Water under the terms of the Beaver Dyke impoundment licence (NE/027/0021/022), must release water from Beaver Dyke Reservoir to compensate the downstream receiving water course Oak Beck.  Yorkshire Water currently operate the compensation flow under the terms of an LEP held with the Environment Agency, this states that there must be a continuous discharge via a group compensation release of not less than 0.75 megalitres per day. The minimum release from Beaver Dyke under the terms of the LEP is 0.20 megalitres per day and the minimum release from Scargill reservoir is 0.35 megalitres per day.

The drought permit application for Beaver Dyke is to reduce the group compensation release by 59% to 0.38Ml/d from the date the permit is granted (of which a minimum of 0.18Ml/d would be released from Scargill Reservoir and a minimum of 0.1Ml/d from Beaver Dyke Reservoir, with the remaining 0.1 Ml/d being made up from the reservoirs within the Haverah Park Group). The group compensation could be reduced further to 0.25Ml/d (of which 0.12 Ml/d would be released from Scargill and 0.07 Ml/d would be released from Beaver Dyke, with the remaining 0.06 Ml/d being made up from the reservoirs in the Haverah Park Group), if regional reservoir stocks are below the regional Drought Control Line, as defined in the  YWSL Drought Plan, for more than four consecutive weeks

Lumley Moor Reservoir (SE 22 70) Yorkshire Water under the terms of the Ripon Corporation Act 1886, must release water from Lumley Moor Reservoir to compensate the downstream receiving water course, Holborn Beck. Yorkshire Water currently operate the compensation flow under the terms of an LEP held with the Environment Agency, whereby we must continuously discharge not less than 0.455 megalitres per day.

The drought permit application for Lumley Moor Reservoir is to provide a continuous release of 0.23 megalitres per day, which could  be reduced further to 0.15 megalitres per day if regional reservoir stocks were below the regional Drought Control Line for four consecutive weeks or more, as defined in the Yorkshire Water Drought Plan.

Thruscross Reservoir (SE 15 57) Yorkshire Water under the terms of the Thruscross Impoundment licence (NE/027/002/0031), must release water from Thruscross Reservoir to compensate the downstream receiving watercourse, the River Washburn. Under the licence conditions, Yorkshire Water must continuously discharge not less than 16.9 megalitres per day being between 16 November and 15 April (winter), 8.2 megalitres per day between the 16 April and 15 May and 16 October and 15 November (spring and autumn), and 3.9 megalitres per day between 16 May and 15 October (summer).

The drought permit application for Thruscross reservoir is to provide a continuous release of 8.45 megalitres per day in winter, 4.1 megalitres per day in spring and autumn, and 1.95 megalitres per day in summer, which could be reduced further to 5.58 megalitres per day in winter, 2.71 megalitres per day in spring and autumn, and 1.29 megalitres per day in summer if regional reservoir stocks were below the Regional Drought Control Line for four consecutive weeks or more, as defined in the Yorkshire Water Drought Plan.

The anticipated effect of the proposed drought permits, if granted, will be to reduce the rate of draw down on reservoirs in the North Yorkshire Area. This will aid winter refill and conserve stocks  for public water supply.  It will result in a reduction in  flow in the downstream receiving watercourses. However, it will mean compensation flow from  the reservoirs to the watercourses can be provided for longer than if the compensation releases continued at the current rates.

Yorkshire Water, in consultation with the Environment Agency, has carried out an assessment of the potential environmental impacts resulting from each of these drought permits. This includes an environmental monitoring plan and mitigation measures to reduce the impacts on the downstream ecology.

Anyone may inspect the proposals at the following locations, free of charge, during normal working hours for a period of seven days from the publication of this notice:

• Yorkshire Water, Western House, Halifax Road, Bradford, BD6 2SZ

• Environment Agency, Lateral,
8 City Walk, Leeds, LS11 9AT

• West Tanfield Post Office,
The Village Shop, West Tanfield, Ripon, HG4 5JU
(Leighton Reservoir)

• Otley Post Office, Nelson Street,
Otley, LS21 1ST
(Lindley Wood Reservoir)

• Darley Post Office, Playing Fields Pavillion,
Station Road, Darley, Harrogate, HG3 2PZ
(Beaver Dyke. Thuscross)

• Lark Lane Post Office,
32 Clotherholme Road, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 2DQ
(Lumley Moor Reservoir).

Copies of the proposals are also available to view on the Yorkshire Water website (www. yorkshirewater.com/droughtpermits), and further information on the drought plan can be found at: www.yorkshirewater.com/drought-permits/

Objections may be made in writing to the Environment Agency quoting the name of the applicant and reference NPS/DP/250011 at: Water Resources Permitting Support Centre, Environment Agency, Quadrant 2, 99 Parkway Avenue, Parkway Business Park, Sheffield, S9 4WF or psc-waterresources@ environment-agency.gov.uk

Objections should be made by Thursday 25th September 2025. The response should outline if you are making a formal objection to the proposal and the grounds for the objection Objectors may also send a copy  of their objection to: Western House, Halifax Road, Bradford, BD6 2SZ or publicaffairsteam@yorkshirewater.co.uk

Dated: 18th September 2025
Signed: Dave Kaye, Director of
Water and Wastewater Services

Perminder Kaur, General Counsel

Yorkshire Water, Western House,
Halifax Road, Bradford, BD6 2SZ