More storm spill maps go live ahead of bathing season

As the mid-May start of the 2024 bathing season nears, more water companies have published interactive maps that show the operation of their storm overflows in near real time.

For instance, Yorkshire Water said its map will refresh every 15 minutes to provide up-to-date information for those intending to swim at the coast or at the River Wharfe in Ilkley, as well as for people looking to find information about their local rivers. The maps shows the live status of each of Yorkshire Water’s storm overflows, when they last discharged into a watercourse and for how long.

Northumbrian Water highlighted that its map was developed with the help of environmental partners from across the region including the Tyne Rivers Trust, Tees Valley Nature Partnership and Wear Rivers Trust. A customer survey was also conducted to understand how the map would be used, and the feedback used to inform how the data is displayed to make the map as user friendly as possible.