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 two drought permits in the River Derwent catchment under section 79a of the Water Resources Act 1991 (as amended).

The drought permits are intended to apply until 31 March 2023 and propose a temporary increase in the annual abstraction limit at Loftsome Bridge and a corresponding reduction in the annual abstraction limit at Elvington.

Loftsome Bridge (grid reference SE 70 30)

Yorkshire Water is authorised to abstract water from the River Derwent at Loftsome Bridge under licence serial number 2/27/28/083. Yorkshire Water’s abstraction at Loftsome Bridge is limited to 114,000 cubic metres per day and 30,400,000 cubic metres per year.

Elvington (grid reference SE 71 49)

Yorkshire Water is authorised to abstract water from the River Derwent at Elvington under licence serial number 2/27/28/017. Yorkshire Water’s abstraction at Elvington is limited to 205,000 cubic metres per day and 75,000,000 cubic metres per year.

Aggregate volumes

The abstractions at Loftsome Bridge and Elvington are aggregated and limit daily abstraction to 305,000 cubic metres per day and 98,841,000 cubic metres per year.

The licences also state that the abstraction on any day at Loftsome Bridge and Elvington shall not exceed the previous day’s flow in the River Derwent as measured by the Environment Agency’s gauge at Buttercrambe.

The drought permit applications for the River Derwent are to increase the annual abstraction limit at Loftsome Bridge by 2,300,000 cubic metres per year, and to correspondingly decrease the annual abstraction limit at Elvington by 2,300,000 cubic metres per year. The new annual abstraction volumes are 32,700,000 cubic metres and 72,700,000 cubic metres respectively. The daily limits at each site and the aggregate volumes will not change.

The drought permits will allow Yorkshire Water to continue to abstract from the River Derwent at Loftsome Bridge until 31 March 2023. This will mean that Yorkshire Water can continue to supply customers using river water, helping reservoir stocks to recharge over the winter period, which will help maintain supply to customers in the Yorkshire area. An assessment of the potential environmental impacts of implementing the drought permits has been carried out in consultation with the Environment Agency and Natural England.

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. Monday – Friday 8:00-17:00; Saturday – Sunday closed.

• Howden Centre Library, 69 Hailgate, Howden, DN14 7SX. Monday 9:30 – 16:30; Wednesday 14:00-19:00; Friday 9:30-14:30; Saturday 9:30-12:30. Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday closed.

• Environment Agency, Lateral, 8 City Walk, Leeds, LS11 9AT. Monday – Friday 9:30-16:30; Saturday – Sunday closed.

Copies of the proposals are also available to view on our website https://www.yorkshirewater.com/drought-permits

Objections may be made in writing to the Environment Agency 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 immediately and in any event by 5pm on 15th December 2022. Objectors may send a copy of their objection to the address below.

Objectors may send a copy of their objection to Western House, Halifax Road, Bradford, BD6 2SZ or publicaffairs@yorkshirewater.co.uk.

Dated: 8th December 2022

Signed: Neil Dewis, Director of Water Service Delivery

Perminder Kaur, Head of Legal Services

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