ALMOST £4m will be invested in reducing storm discharges into the River Dearne thanks to sewer upgrades.
A total of £1.9m will be spent on Nanny Marr Road, followed by a further £1.9m on Edderthorpe Lane both in Darfield by Yorkshire Water.
Contract partners M Group started work on the adjacent sites recently.
Both projects include the creation of a pipe nest solution, capable of storing over 133,000 litres of wastewater during periods of heavy rainfall to prevent it from being discharged into the river.
The stored flows will then be sent for treatment once the network has returned to normal levels.
Helen Lynskey, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “These projects are part of £1.5bn investment from Yorkshire Water to reduce storm discharges going into watercourses.
“The Nanny Marr Road upgrade should result in a 70 per cent reduction of storm discharges into a tributary of the Dearne.
“On completion, the Edderthorpe Lane project should result in a 69 per cent reduction in storm discharges from 33 per annum to fewer than ten.
“These improvements are part of our £95m plan to upgrade 28 storm overflows to reduce storm discharges across Barnsley including Darton, Genn Lane and Worsborough.
“Both projects are expected to complete early 2027.”
The new infrastructure projects follow similar work at Dearne Hall Road and Carr Green storm overflows which were completed in 2025.
Storm overflows are designed to act as a relief for the combined sewer network, which carries both wastewater and surface water, during periods of heavy or prolonged rainfall.
They discharge when the system is at capacity to prevent flows backing up and wastewater entering homes and gardens.
However, Yorkshire Water had come under scrutiny for its previous ‘catalogue’ of failings by industry regulator Ofwat following its largest-ever investigation into utilities companies’ wrongdoings.
A multi-million pound improvement scheme was then embarked upon to reduce the amount of discharges into the River Dearne and River Dove.
Harley Dike, near Elsecar, Church Street in Jump, Knoll Beck, Elsecar and Small Bridge Dike at Cudworth have all benefited already, with more locations following after Darfield’s completion.
A Yorkshire Water spokesperson added: “Storm overflows are designed to keep wastewater out of the sewers and, at times, people’s homes.
“When there’s heavy rain the sewer system can get overwhelmed, causing wastewater to back up.
“To stop that from happening, our systems automatically redirect extra stormwater into our 2,190 storm overflows, which let it flow out into nearby watercourses.
“Our storm overflows are highly regulated with permits provided by the Environment Agency which set out the conditions for when an overflow can operate and how it should be configured.
“We closely monitor how our overflows are performing and we report any activity that goes outside of the permit conditions to the Environment Agency, who then investigate.
“We know these overflows are used more than anyone would like, and we’re working hard to change that.
“That’s why we’re investing into smarter, more sustainable ways to cut down how often they’re needed and help protect the environment.”
