Pictures and video: Eye in the sky tour of our reservoirs at launch of water campaign (original) (raw)

Yorkshire Water took to the skies to launch a new water-conservation campaign.

Engineers boarded a helicopter to check on Pennine reservoirs including the huge Scammonden Dam to coincide with the United Nation’s World Environment Day and pleaded: ‘Consume with care’.

The company, which provides around 1.24 billion litres of water a day, is aiming to highlight how using water more efficiently is not only good for the environment but can also help lower utility bills.

Officials are concerned that customers are using too much water. They want to reduce the current 100-150 litres of water each customer uses on average per day, which is the equivalent of up to two full bath tubs.

Neil Dewis, head of service delivery at Yorkshire Water, and Ian Dorrington, the man in charge of Scammonden, made a plea.

Mr Dewis said: “Our ‘Save A Little, Save A Lot’ campaign is about providing our customers with information on how they can save water and why it’s important to do so.

“Some people take water for granted but it is a precious resource and we need to ensure that in the future we can continue to meet the demands of a growing population and the challenges climate change could bring.

“We work really hard to manage our own leakage and to supply our water in the cost efficient way, but we need our customers to play their part too. To help our customers we‘re offering free water saving packs via our website that include simple to install devices that can reduce household water consumption.”

The reservoirs tour highlighted the journey water takes before reaching customers taps. This water journey includes travelling through a 32,000km network of underground pipes that carries water to homes and businesses throughout the region.

Mr Dewis explained the company’s water management process: “The region’s drinking water comes from reservoirs, rivers and boreholes, which is then purified at our water treatment works to meet water quality standards. To manage our water supply in the most efficient way we have a unique grid system that allows us to move water 24/7 around the region to meet consumer demand.”

Yorkshire Water is set to invest around £870m over the next five years to maintain its reservoirs, treatment works and pipe network. This will help ensure efficient water treatment processes are in place and pipes are upgraded with modern materials.

Here's some footage from the flight:

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Scammonden reservoir supplies more than 150,000 Huddersfield homes with water

Reservoir levels in Yorkshire are currently at a healthy average of 92% which is good for this time of year.

All the reservoirs are constantly topped up by either rainfall, springs or Yorkshire Water’s underground grid network.

And obviously in this area, May was a very wet month which helped with supplies.

For many people in Huddersfield, the water that comes out of their taps originates at Scammonden.

Scammonden reservoir officially opened in 1971 and supplies residents living in the Huddersfield area.

It is located immediately below the M62 which runs across the top of the dam high in the Pennine Moors.

The reservoir is very popular with runners, ramblers and dog walkers.

The water from the reservoir is sent to Longwood and Marsh water treatment works to be purified before it is distributed in the underground pipe network to resident’s taps.

The capacity of the reservoir is such that it could supply a population of 150,000 people for 300 days before it emptied.

At its deepest the reservoir is 52m deep.

Others reservoirs in the same catchment area are Baitings, Green Withens and Booth Wood.

Baitings opened in 1958 and also supplies residents living in the Wakefield area.

It has two walking routes with one trail going through woodland surrounding the reservoir.

In conjunction with Booth Wood, when full it holds enough water to supply a population of 77,000 people for 500 days.

Green Withens opened in 1898 and lies near to the head of the River Calder, close to the M62 motorway. It is an impounding reservoir that is augmented by catchwaters that intercept runoff from the moorland around Blackstone Edge.

It is home to Green Withens Water Sports Centre and is a popular sailing, kayaking and bellboating spot for Scouts and Guides.

Booth Wood opened in 1971 and supplies residents living in Wakefield. It has a maximum depth of 152 feet and covers an area of 54 acres.

The water in the reservoir is sent to Kirkhamgate and Fixby Water treatment works to be purified before it is distributed in the underground pipe network to resident’s taps.

How to save water

Turning the tap off when brushing teeth could save seven litres per person per day!

A bath can use as much as 80 litres of water. Swapping this for a short shower can save on average 10 litres of water per day

Fixing that dripping tap could save £18 a year. A dripping tap wastes around 5,500 litres of water a year.

Simply by making sure the washing machine is full before using could save eight litres of water per household

Fitting a free flushsaver in the toilet cistern will save one litre of water every time the toilet is flushed