Yorkshire Water has unveiled a £3.6m scheme to install a large underground storm tank at Carver Fields, off Hagg Lane in Sheffield, as part of its £1.5bn programme to cut storm overflow discharges across the region and protect the River Rivelin.

The tank, providing 2,500m³ (2,500,000 litres) of extra capacity, will temporarily store excess wastewater and surface water during prolonged or intense rainfall. By holding back flows from the Rivelin Valley CSO, it will prevent untreated discharges to the river, with stored water later returned to the network for full treatment when capacity allows.

Joe Johnson, senior project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: "This is one of 21 major storm overflow projects for Sheffield and our contract partners, Ward & Burke, will be delivering the scheme, starting on site on Monday 6 July."

He added: "We know that reducing the number of storm discharges going into local watercourses is an important matter to our customers and, when its finished, this scheme should reduce discharges into the river from Rivelin Valley CSO to fewer than 10 per year."

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Following detailed surveys, Carver Fields was selected due to suitable local geology, proximity to existing sewers and because it was deemed the least disruptive option for the wider community.

Yorkshire Water is working with the owners of Carver Fields church to minimise disruption. A customer drop-in will be held on Wednesday 3 June (3pm – 5.45pm) at the Crosspool & District Youth Sports Trust (CDYST) sports hall, where residents and businesses can meet the team and learn more about the plans.

Joe continues: "This project is expected to take 18 months to complete, and we will be working closely with residents and the local community to ensure we keep disruption to a minimum and that the field will be fully restored, as well as other betterment opportunities."

The Crosspool scheme is one of 21 storm overflow projects earmarked for completion in Sheffield over the next five years. Construction has already begun at Vickers Road and Butterthwaite Road to reduce spills into local waterways.

The work forms part of Yorkshire Water's largest-ever environmental investment programme, with £8.3bn committed over the next five years to upgrade infrastructure and improve services. Of this, £1.5bn is targeted specifically at reducing reliance on storm overflows by delivering new surface water sewers, underground storage tanks, nature-based solutions and sustainable drainage systems.

These measures are designed to strengthen the sewer network and improve river and coastal water quality. They build on £180m invested over the previous two years, which helped cut discharges to watercourses by 12% in 2024 compared with 2023.