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| | Home | Introduction | Climate | Workshops | Impacts | Adaptation | UKCP09 | Where next? | Links | Contact | Download | |
Here you will learn about the impacts expected from climate change by the 2050s on the infrastructure and utilities sector. Infrastructure is often categorised into three groups, namely:
This section focuses mainly on critical infrastructure. Due to the importance of flood defences and surface water drainage to the region, these aspects have been considered separately in a ‘Flooding’ section, which cross-references back to some of the critical infrastructure described in this section where relevant. Green infrastructure is largely described in the ‘Biodiversity’ section, with social infrastructure largely described in the ‘Public & Voluntary Services’ section. The critical infrastructure described in this section includes the following:
The regional assessment provides an overview of the main issues affecting infrastructure and utilities under climate change in the Yorkshire and Humber region over the coming 50 years. Description Transport
Similar to the road network, critical national rail links cross the region. Particularly important are the rail links that extend between London and Edinburgh via York along the East Coast Main Line (ECML), cross-country between Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool, and via Sheffield to the Midlands and West Country. The rail network is operated by Network Rail, with passenger services provided by franchised rail operators, of which there are several within the region.
The ports at Goole, Grimsby, Hull and Immingham on the Humber Estuary form part of the Associated British Ports’ portfolio and also are critical to the nation’s transport infrastructure. Similarly the Leeds/Bradford International Airport, the Humberside International Airport, and the Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport are important air travel hubs. Bus services are deregulated in the region and provided by a number of different operators. Water and Waste Water
Water abstraction from surface water and groundwater sources for domestic, drinking, agricultural and industrial purposes takes place throughout the region. Most reservoirs are located in the west of the region, with groundwater resources focused along a central ‘spine’ and in the east. Yorkshire Water’s resource comes primarily from reservoirs (45%), although river water abstractions (33%) and groundwater abstractions (22%) are not insignificant. Overall water resource is generally plentiful, although seasonal variations do occur. The east of the region and some of the more remote rural areas have little or no additional surface or groundwater available and along the Sherwood Sandstone aquifer, covering a thin narrow area from Selby to Doncaster, the resource is over-committed in the summer months. Over recent years Yorkshire Water has made significant investment in a new water grid (‘the Yorkshire Grid’), meaning that the region’s water resource can be distributed according to need. This approach means that Yorkshire Water relies on only three water resource zones for supply, with distribution made across the regional grid. The three supply zones are: Grid SW (surface water) Zone covering most of the region, East SW Zone covering part of Scarborough Borough, and East GW (groundwater) Zone covering parts of Scarborough, Ryedale and East Riding. The Environment Agency’s Catchment Abstraction Management Strategies (CAMS) show that for much of the Yorkshire and Humber region no further water is available for licensing at times of low flows, although water may be available at higher flows (with appropriate restrictions). In the afore-mentioned Sherwood Sandstone aquifer, there is no further groundwater available for abstraction to prevent derogation of the rights of existing license holders and to prevent problems with salinity. Yorkshire Water, as the principal sewerage provider in the region, is responsible for some 20,000 miles of sewer network to transport waste water and sewage from nearly 2 million homes, liquid waste from industry, and any surface water runoff that does not discharge directly to the local watercourses into one of the organisation’s 631 waste water treatment works across the region. Energy and Telecommunications Licensed network operators are then responsible for the distribution of electricity from the grid to customers. Northern Electricity Distribution Limited and Yorkshire Electricity Distribution Limited (both part of CE Electric UK) are the companies that own and operate the principal electricity distribution infrastructure across the region, although Electricity North West and Central Networks East also cover smaller areas of the region. Furthermore, independent network owners are increasingly operating to supply new development with electricity, particularly from alternative sources of generation. Much of the electricity distribution infrastructure comprises sub-stations, underground cabling and overhead transmission lines supported by pylons. Gas is distributed across the region from the national high-pressure national transmission system, operated by National Grid Transmission, to Local Distribution Zones. Two such zones cover the region, namely the North East Zone (via the gas distribution operator Northern Gas Networks) located to the north and west of the Humber, and the East Midlands Zone (via National Grid Gas) located to the south of the Humber. The gas infrastructure is principally located below the ground surface. Telecommunications traffic travels along several major national networks via access points at local exchanges. The region is served by three main fixed-line telecommunications networks which feed into the national network. The most significant of these is Openreach Access Network, which is currently part of the BT Group. This provides most residential customers and small businesses with access to telephone and broadband services between the local exchanges and customers homes and businesses. The main urban areas (excluding Hull) are served by the Virgin Media network, which comprises sub-surface cabling. Hull is served by Kingston Communications in a unique situation where the city is served by a local, and not national, telephone network.
Impacts During the summer of 2007, flooding had major impacts on the region’s infrastructure and utilities. As well as affecting nearly 11,000 homes, over 25,000 people and over 3,000 businesses directly, the flooding also affected 23 sewage treatment works across the region, 140 electricity substations and 65km of A-roads (RPA & Royal Haskoning, 2008). In total it has been estimated that some £470M of damage was caused directly to the region’s infrastructure and utilities. Of this, the majority (66%) of economic damage to infrastructure and utilities was caused in areas covered by Sheffield postcodes. In addition, further economic damage was caused by severing of principal transport routes by flood waters, leading to damage, delays and disruptions. Transport Increased temperatures will have an effect on materials such as road surfacings and rail tracks which will become more susceptible to surface melt and buckling respectively. Tarmac melt is unlikely to be experienced on major roads, but more rural areas could be affected. Rail buckling can lead to significant delays caused by imposed safety speeds. Associated with a warmer climate is a longer growing season of vegetation, meaning that road-side and rail-side maintenance will be needed for longer durations in an average year by the 2050s compared with the present day. Overhead power cables, such as those which supply power to trains, metros and trams within the region, will experience greater and/or more frequent sagging due to thermal expansion under a warmer climate and this will be particularly problematic where there are no balancing weights used to take up the slack. Reduced annual average snowfall will mean less overall demand for snow clearance using ploughs, whilst increasing temperatures will, on average, reduce the resources needed for precautionary and post-event gritting and salting of road surfaces. However, significant parts of the region will continue to be subjected to sub-zero temperatures and relatively heavy snowfall due to the altitude and geography. Consequently, inland rail tracks, trans-Pennine roads and rural roads, particularly those in upland areas, will all continue to be impacted by rapidly accumulating drifting snow, and although this will occur less frequently than during the present day it will continue to impact the region quite heavily.
Parts of both the road and rail network are presently vulnerable to wind-related impacts. This includes trees, posts and poles being blown over and falling onto rail tracks or road carriageways causing damage and blockages, or onto overhead power cables leading to loss of power to trains, trams and metros, traffic management systems or transport communication signs. Wind-blown debris can also accumulate in gulleys, leading to blockages that exacerbate localised flooding. Vegetation and leaves blown onto rail tracks can also cause skidding and overshooting of station stops. In addition scheduled flights to or from the region’s airports will continue to sometimes be delayed or disrupted due to adverse wind, fog and heavy rain conditions.
Increased rainfall in winter and during extreme events will trigger more slippages in road cuttings and embankments, and will exacerbate scour problems in river beds around bridge abutments. Heavier winter rainfall will also lead to more direct damage to road surfaces where it leads to localised flooding. This will result in pot-holing and cracking. Rising temperatures will increase tourism and recreation in parts of the region, placing increased demand on regional and local road networks. It will also raise internal temperatures within cars, buses, coaches and rail carriages that will need to be offset in order to maintain passenger comfort. Reduced summer rainfall and rising summer temperatures will affect the trans-Pennine canal network through low flows insufficient to sustain navigation during periods of particularly severe and prolonged high temperatures. The rail network can also suffer from the effects of thunderstorms and associated lightning strikes. Even a fairly minor thunderstorm has the potential to knock out a signalling system. An Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) has been fitted on the East Coast Mainline from London up to York, but it extends no further north. However, as there is presently no compelling evidence for changes in the frequency or magnitude of thunderstorms or lightning strikes, the effect by the 2050s is unlikely to be significantly different from the present day. In addition to the above direct impacts from climate change, the transport infrastructure is also critically vulnerable to flooding. The floods of 2007 caused significant direct damage to key road and rail infrastructure across the region, but particularly in areas served by Sheffield postcodes. Sheffield City Council estimated damage to roads at £30M (Charlton, 2007), with similar figures quoted in the Pitt Review (2007) for Hull, East Riding, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire, and in the economic impact assessment (RPA & Royal Haskoning, 2008) for postcode areas of ‘Doncaster’ and ‘Leeds, Wakefield and York’. Rotherham rail station was closed for around one month after the flooding and significant lengths of line were damaged, resulting in repair costs of an estimated £16M. Particularly vulnerable sections of the network are trans-Pennine road and rail links due to the vulnerable setting of parts of their lengths within steep river valleys. Water and Waste Water The projected changes in rainfall patterns will have two main implications. On the one hand, increased winter rainfall will lead to increased pressure on existing piped wastewater transfer networks, which have all been designed to accommodate a particular design flow. This is typically a 1 in 10 year return period event, but at best a 1 in 30 year event. As the winter rainfall patterns increase, and indeed as extreme rainfall conditions increase in particular locations under particular return period events, so the flow will more frequently exceed this design capacity leading to sewer flooding (see the ‘Flooding’ section for more details on this). There would be pollution and public health issues associated with such localised flooding events caused by surcharging of the drainage and sewer network. On the other hand, reduced average summer rainfall will affect river flows, groundwater levels (see ‘Groundwater and Minewater’ section for further details) and water volumes stored within surface water reservoirs. In the main, however, the region is particularly well supplied with water and even with the projected changes in climate, Yorkshire Water does not project a resource deficit, although some specific reservoirs, especially smaller ones in South Yorkshire, will be vulnerable to drought and some rivers may face tighter controls on abstraction which would particularly be an issue for irrigation of arable land and livestock feeding. The drought that occurred in Yorkshire in 1995/96 was not caused by a deficit in water resource, but instead by not having the right quantities of available water in the right places to meet demand due to pipe deficits; i.e. it was a water distribution issue not a water resource issue. Since that time massive investment has been made in establishing the Yorkshire Grid, enabling available water to be distributed across the region according to demand. Increased temperatures, including the increased incidences of heatwaves, will place additional demand on water supply for drinking and other domestic uses (e.g. watering gardens, more frequent showers, etc.), but as described above, water resource availability is not anticipated to be a major problem to the Yorkshire and Humber region due to its expected continued healthy supply volumes. There may, however, be problems for any rural areas not currently served by this supply grid. There will also be increased water demand for agricultural use, particularly in areas where water-intensive crops such as potatoes are grown and where livestock watering is spring-fed or stream-fed. Again, it will be the most remote areas that will be particularly affected. In response to the above water resource assessments the Environment Agency acknowledges that whilst in a ‘typical’ year the water resource situation across the region is healthy and will not present a public water supply issue, many of the surface water reservoirs are single-season (designed to contain enough water for one annual cycle) and therefore could be susceptible to drought. An impact resulting from the envisaged changes in climate, especially reduced summer rainfall and increased summer temperatures, is that the water supply network will become more regularly tested in order to balance supply demand with the available resource (the Yorkshire Grid is yet to be tested against a prolonged drought). Water treatment processes are highly sensitive to temperature. Increases in temperature are likely to have positive connotations in this regard since this will help accelerate chemical and biological treatment processes for both water treatment and sewage treatment. Before reaching the treatment works, however, long-duration exposure to heat could increase incidences of cryptosporidium in water. This would be particularly likely if temperatures reached extremely high levels soon after intense rainfall events, during which livestock faeces could more readily be washed into drainage systems or watercourses. Changes in river flows (projected to be reduced flows, on average, in summer and increased flows, on average, in winter) will affect the concentrations to which effluents are diluted and dispersed within water bodies. A consequence of this during times of reduced flows is that higher treatment standards may be required before discharges occur. Low river flows during summer will also increase the relative severity of any pollution events that do occur due to reduction in flushing through the natural system. Sub-surface pipes and sewers are susceptible to cracking in areas that are prone to soil movements, such as clayey soils. This is not, however, a major issue in the Yorkshire and Humber region due to the nature of the characteristic soil types. Water and wastewater infrastructure is also critically vulnerable to flooding. During the summer 2007 floods, it has been reported by OFWAT that 2.5 million people in Yorkshire had their sewage treatment compromised or failed (OFWAT, 2007). The costs associated with flooding to sewage treatment works and wastewater treatment works has been estimated at £5.2million in areas with Leeds, Wakefield and York postcodes and £190million in areas with Sheffield postcodes, where 11 sewage treatment works and a major pumping station were affected. OFWAT (2007) also reported that the floods caused no significant interruption to water supply. Major concern was expressed about the integrity during these extreme events of a number of reservoirs and dams. Catastrophic failure of these structures would have suddenly released a large volume of rapidly flowing water into an already flooded environment, causing disastrous consequences. Energy and Telecommunications
Rising temperatures will lead to greater sagging on overhead transmission lines due to thermal expansion. This will result in a loss of efficiency in transmission. Sub-surface infrastructure, such as gas pipelines and some telecommunications infrastructure, could be affected by wetter winters and dryer summers in the form of increased swelling and shrinking soils. However, the region is generally characterised by relatively low plasticity soils and therefore this is not anticipated to be a major issue even under the climate changes that are projected. Energy and telecommunications infrastructure is extremely vulnerable to flooding. During summer 2007 floods affected 140 electricity substations and a number of telephone exchanges. Some 96 of the substations and most of the affected telephone exchanges were located in areas served by Sheffield postcodes, causing £62M of damage in these areas.
| North Yorkshire | West Yorkshire | Humber | South Yorkshire |
Description Transport Water and Waste Water The vast majority of the sub-region is supplied with water from Yorkshire Water via the Yorkshire Grid. This means that water distribution can readily be made according to demand, thereby ameliorating any within-region source deficits. A small section of the North York Moors National Park is covered by Northumbrian Water, and a small section of the Yorkshire Dales by United Utilities, but these areas too have plentiful supply. The National Property Dataset identifies 292 ‘Sewage Treatment Works and Premises’ in the North Yorkshire sub-region. These are dispersed across all districts within the sub-region, typically along river corridors. Energy and Telecommunications
Impacts Transport These main networks will also continue to be subject to disruption caused by wind-related blockages such as overturned high-sided vehicles and blown trees, pylons or posts across road carriageways or rail tracks. Although there is only a modest increase projected across the sub-region in winter average wind speed, it is anticipated that extreme wind speeds will also increase (although this is difficult to model due to the dynamic nature of these events). Consequently, the impact to the transport infrastructure from wind is not expected to be any less than the present day, and is likely to be marginally worse. Local road networks will also become subject to increased frequency of flooding, especially from streams or rivers during winter months or in urban areas due to back-up sewer flooding. Increased erosion rates at the coastal margin will lead to increased risk to the rail line where it comes close to the coast at Filey and to the A174 at Sandsend and the A165 Filey to Scarborough road. A more extreme marine environment will also increase the potential for damage of vessels moored in the marinas at Scarborough, Whitby and Staithes and may increase the downtime of working vessels operating from these harbours. During summer months, when extreme temperatures and incidences of heatwaves are set to increase, more rural roads will increasingly experience surface melt, leading to damage such as pot-holing and cracking and causing disruption of access to remote rural areas. This could have consequential impacts in terms of continuity of provision of public welfare and support services to vulnerable members of society residing in these areas. These events will also cause increased frequency and duration of track-buckling on the rail network. This will result in more frequent speed restrictions and travel delays. In addition, the increased temperatures throughout all seasons of the year, and particularly the extreme high temperatures and heatwaves in summer, will increase discomfort for passengers in cars, buses, coaches and train carriages. This will be particularly so in sealed containers with no opening windows and could prove extremely adverse to passenger health in the event of breakdown of the cooling systems or of the transport vehicle itself. The warmer climate will increase tourist and visitor numbers to the sub-region, particularly to the National Parks, and the coastal resorts including Scarborough, Filey, and Whitby. This will place additional demand on the transport network, particularly the road network and especially in remoter areas served by small A roads or even lighter capacity roads. Longer growing seasons will mean that roadside and trackside maintenance will be required for longer durations than the present day and starting earlier in the year. This has impacts on both manpower resource and budgetary requirements. Whilst snowfall is projected to significantly decrease by the 2050s, the volume of snow that is anticipated to fall is still likely to cause occasional problems to the road and rail infrastructure, mostly across the more remote upland areas of the sub-region such as areas within the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks. Water and Waste Water Reservoirs within the sub-region will also receive less water overall, placing demand on the Yorkshire Grid for ensured supply across the sub-region. Water demand from domestic users will also increase due to the warmer climate. Water treatment processes will beneficially be affected by rising temperatures as chemical and biological processes are accelerated, but low flows in the sub-region’s watercourses could lead to greater pollution as effluent is less readily dispersed during summer months. Urban areas of the sub-region, such as York, Harrogate, Whitby, Filey and Scarborough will increasingly experience localised flooding due to stormwater overflow, especially during winter months when rainfall is heaviest and is set to increase. The principal vulnerability of the water and wastewater infrastructure within the sub-region comes from flooding from rivers and streams, exacerbated in urban areas by surcharging drainage networks. This has the potential to directly inundate water treatment works and wastewater treatment works, and in worst case scenarios bringing their operations to a standstill and releasing pollutants to the neighbouring environment. Furthermore, the ability of the Yorkshire Grid to ensure continued demand is balanced by supply is in part reliant upon mechanical pumping processes to transfer water. Such infrastructure could also be affected by flooding, thereby adversely affecting supply if local sources cannot meet demand. Energy and Telecommunications Rising temperatures will lead to greater sagging on overhead transmission lines and associated loss of efficiency, but there is likely to be, on average, less ice-related damage than in the present day. Subsurface infrastructure such as cabling and pipelines will be slightly more vulnerable to soil movements, but the low plasticity nature of most of the soils means that this will not be a major problem.
Description Transport Water and Waste Water The sub-region is supplied with water from Yorkshire Water via the Yorkshire Grid. This means that water distribution can readily be made according to demand, thereby ameliorating any within-region source deficits. The National Property Dataset identifies 57 ‘Sewage Treatment Works and Premises’ in the West Yorkshire sub-region. Energy and Telecommunications
Impacts Transport These main networks will also continue to be subject to disruption caused by wind-related blockages such as overturned high-sided vehicles and blown trees, pylons or posts across road carriageways or rail tracks. Although there is only a modest increase projected across the sub-region in winter average wind speed, it is anticipated that extreme wind speeds will also increase (although this is difficult to model due to the dynamic nature of these events). Consequently, the impact to the transport infrastructure from wind is not expected to be any less than the present day, and is likely to be marginally worse. Local road networks will also become subject to increased frequency of flooding, especially from streams or rivers during winter months or in urban areas due to back-up sewer flooding. Increased extreme temperatures and greater occurrence of heatwaves will lead to increased frequency and duration of track-buckling on the rail network. This will result in more frequent speed restrictions and travel delays. In addition, the increased temperatures throughout all seasons of the year, and particularly the extreme high temperatures and heatwaves in summer, will increase discomfort for passengers in cars, buses, coaches and train carriages. This will be particularly so in sealed containers with no opening windows and could prove extremely adverse to passenger health in the event of breakdown of the cooling systems or of the transport vehicle itself. Scheduled flights to or from Leeds Bradford International Airport will continue to sometimes be delayed or disrupted due to adverse wind, fog and heavy rain conditions, although the number of snow-related incidents will decrease compared to the present day.
The warmer climate will increase tourist and visitor numbers through the sub-region, particularly with people travelling to the parklands and moorlands within the region or to the Peak District National Park, the main body of which lies just outwith the region. This will place additional demand on the transport network, particularly the road network and especially in more remote areas served by small A roads or even lighter capacity roads. Longer growing seasons will mean that roadside and trackside maintenance will be required for longer durations than the present day and starting earlier in the year. This has impacts on both manpower resource and budgetary requirements. Whilst snowfall is projected to significantly decrease by the 2050s, the volume of snow that is anticipated to fall is still likely to cause occasional problems to the road and rail infrastructure, mostly across the more elevated areas of the sub-region. Water and Waste Water In addition, a projected reduction in annual average rainfall, and in particular in summer average rainfall, combined with a warmer climate will have some impacts on the surface water reservoirs in the sub-region, although overall resource is not expected to exhibit a deficit. There may, however, be a need to balance demand with supply via alternative local sources or wider across the Yorkshire Grid. Water demand from domestic users will increase due to the warmer climate. Water treatment processes will beneficially be affected by rising temperatures as chemical and biological processes are accelerated, but low flows in the sub-region’s watercourses could lead to greater pollution as effluent is less readily dispersed during summer months. The principal vulnerability of the water and wastewater infrastructure within the sub-region comes from flooding from rivers and streams, exacerbated in urban areas by surcharging drainage networks. This has the potential to directly inundate water treatment works and wastewater treatment works, and in worst case scenarios bringing their operations to a standstill and releasing pollutants to the neighbouring environment. Furthermore, the ability of the Yorkshire Grid to ensure continued demand is balanced by supply is in part reliant upon mechanical pumping processes to transfer water. Such infrastructure could also be affected by flooding, thereby adversely affecting supply if local sources cannot meet demand. Energy and Telecommunications Rising temperatures will lead to greater sagging on overhead transmission lines and associated loss of efficiency, but there is likely to be, on average, less ice-related damage than in the present day. Subsurface infrastructure such as cabling and pipelines will be slightly more vulnerable to soil movements, but the low plasticity nature of most of the soils means that this will not be a major problem.
Description Transport
Water and Waste Water The areas of the sub-region located north of the Humber Estuary are supplied with water from Yorkshire Water via the Yorkshire Grid. This also extends to the western half of North Lincolnshire. This means that water distribution can readily be made according to demand, thereby ameliorating any within-region source deficits. Elsewhere in the sub-region (i.e. to the east of North Lincolnshire and in North East Lincolnshire) water supply is provided by Anglian Water and therefore separate from the Yorkshire Grid. The Anglian Water region is the driest in the country, with around half the average rainfall for England and Wales, and is predominantly fed by river and groundwater resources. The National Property Dataset identifies 119 ‘Sewage Treatment Works and Premises’ in the Humber sub-region. Energy and Telecommunications The sub-region is also home to several important Power Stations, including gas-fired plant at Glanford Brigg, Killingolme, Keadby and Immingham (although given this name it is also located at Killingholme). There is also a poultry-waste plant at Glanford (distinct from Glanford Brigg). In addition, a principal component of the UK’s gas infrastructure is located in the region on the cliff top at Easington. Here the gas terminal was constructed in 1967, originally as the landing for all of the UK’s natural gas from the North Sea. The terminal now processes natural gas and gas condensates from British Petroleum’s West Sole, Newsham and Hyde fields. The Easington terminal has connections through the National Transmission System to the North East Local Distribution Zone. (Note: The East Midlands Local Distribution Zone connects to the terminal at Theddlethorpe, located on the east Lincolnshire coastline, i.e. outside of the Yorkshire and Humber region).
Impacts Transport Increased erosion rates at the coastal margin will lead to increased risk to the rail line where it comes close to the coast at Bridlington and to the A1033 at Withernsea and the local B1242 between Hornsea and Mappleton. Scheduled flights to or from Humberside International Airport will continue to sometimes be delayed or disrupted due to adverse wind, fog and heavy rain conditions, although the number of snow-related incidents will decrease compared to the present day. The principal road and rail routes through the sub-region will be most vulnerable to increased disruption due to local and/or large-scale flooding, especially during winter months when an increase in average winter rainfall is anticipated. This will result in considerable economic damage directly to road and rail infrastructure (e.g. repair of road surfaces, debris clearance, re-instatement of signalling and signage, etc.) and considerable indirect damage due to traffic and travel disruption along main arteries. These main networks will also continue to be subject to disruption caused by wind-related blockages such as overturned high-sided vehicles and blown trees, pylons or posts across road carriageways or rail tracks. Although there is only a modest increase projected across the sub-region in winter average wind speed, it is anticipated that extreme wind speeds will also increase (although this is difficult to model due to the dynamic nature of these events). Consequently, the impact to the transport infrastructure from wind is not expected to be any less than the present day, and is likely to be marginally worse. Local road networks will also become subject to increased frequency of flooding, especially from streams or rivers during winter months or in urban areas due to back-up sewer flooding. During summer months, when extreme temperatures and incidences of heatwaves are set to increase, more rural roads will increasingly experience surface melt, leading to damage such as pot-holing and cracking and causing disruption of access to remote rural areas. This could have consequential impacts in terms of continuity of provision of public welfare and support services to vulnerable members of society residing in these areas. These events will also cause increased frequency and duration of track-buckling on the rail network. This will result in more frequent speed restrictions and travel delays. In addition, the increased temperatures throughout all seasons of the year, and particularly the extreme high temperatures and heatwaves in summer, will increase discomfort for passengers in cars, buses, coaches and train carriages. This will be particularly so in sealed containers with no opening windows and could prove extremely adverse to passenger health in the event of breakdown of the cooling systems or of the transport vehicle itself. The warmer climate will increase tourist and visitor numbers to the sub-region, particularly to the coastline and estuary. This will place additional demand on the transport network, particularly the road network and especially in remoter areas served by small A roads or even lighter capacity roads. Longer growing seasons will mean that roadside and trackside maintenance will be required for longer durations than the present day and starting earlier in the year. This has impacts on both manpower resource and budgetary requirements. Water and Waste Water Urban areas, particularly Hull, but including Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Bridlington and Beverley will experience increased likelihood of localised flooding due to stormwater overflow, especially during winter months when rainfall is already heaviest and is set to increase into the future. This will be exacerbated in areas where discharges are made into the Humber Estuary where increased mean sea levels and increased surge levels during storms will increase the potential for tide-locking of discharge and hence create back-up flooding to local areas. Water treatment processes will beneficially be affected by rising temperatures as chemical and biological processes are accelerated, but low flows in the sub-region’s watercourses could lead to greater pollution as effluent is less readily dispersed during summer months. A further principal vulnerability of the water and wastewater infrastructure within the sub-region comes from flooding from the Humber Estuary, rivers and streams, exacerbated in urban areas by surcharging drainage networks. This has the potential to directly inundate water treatment works and wastewater treatment works, and in worst case scenarios bringing their operations to a standstill and releasing pollutants to the neighbouring environment. Furthermore, the ability of the Yorkshire Grid to ensure continued demand is balanced across most of the sub-region by supply is in part reliant upon mechanical pumping processes to transfer water. Such infrastructure could also be affected by flooding, thereby adversely affecting supply if local sources cannot meet demand. Energy and Telecommunications Elsewhere, the sub-region’s energy and telecommunications infrastructure is principally susceptible to increased flood risk associated with wetter winters. Substations, power stations and other key facilities affected by flooding could result in cessation of power transmission to numerous households and businesses. This could also include loss of power to hospitals, emergency response units and pumping stations which would also have serious consequential effects. Rising temperatures will lead to greater sagging on overhead transmission lines and associated loss of efficiency, but there is likely to be, on average, less ice-related damage than in the present day. Subsurface infrastructure such as cabling and pipelines will be slightly more vulnerable to soil movements, but the low plasticity nature of most of the soils means that this will not be a major problem.
Description Transport Water and Waste Water The sub-region is mostly supplied with water from Yorkshire Water via the Yorkshire Grid. This means that water distribution can readily be made according to demand, thereby ameliorating any within-region source deficits. A small section of the sub-region, comprising the south-eastern areas of Doncaster and Rotherham Districts is supplied by Severn Trent Water. The National Property Dataset identifies 72 ‘Sewage Treatment Works and Premises’ in the South Yorkshire sub-region. Energy and Telecommunications
Impacts Transport The Sheffield Supertram system is served with power taken from 12 substations using overhead cables. These overhead power lines are less likely to be adversely affected by ice loading as generally temperatures will be warmer on average than in the present day, however, the slight increase in winter wind speeds could cause greater problems to the system due to failed transmission cables or increased wind-blown debris on the tracks. The principal road and rail routes through the sub-region will be most vulnerable to increased disruption due to local and/or large-scale flooding, especially during winter months when an increase in average winter rainfall is anticipated. This will result in considerable economic damage directly to road and rail infrastructure (e.g. repair of road surfaces, debris clearance, re-instatement of signalling and signage, etc.) and considerable indirect damage due to traffic and travel disruption along main arteries. Local road networks will also become subject to increased frequency of flooding, especially from streams or rivers during winter months or in urban areas due to back-up sewer flooding. These events will also cause increased frequency and duration of track-buckling on the rail network. This will result in more frequent speed restrictions and travel delays. In addition, the increased temperatures throughout all seasons of the year, and particularly the extreme high temperatures and heatwaves in summer, will increase discomfort for passengers in cars, buses, coaches and train carriages. This will be particularly so in sealed containers with no opening windows and could prove extremely adverse to passenger health in the event of breakdown of the cooling systems or of the transport vehicle itself. The warmer climate will increase tourist and visitor numbers through the sub-region, particularly with people travelling to the National Parks within the region or the Peak District, just outwith the region. This will place additional demand on the transport network, particularly the road network and especially in remoter areas served by small A roads or even lighter capacity roads. Longer growing seasons will mean that roadside and trackside maintenance will be required for longer durations than the present day and starting earlier in the year. This has impacts on both manpower resource and budgetary requirements. Whilst snowfall is projected to significantly decrease by the 2050s, the volume of snow that is anticipated to fall is still likely to cause occasional problems to the road and rail infrastructure, mostly across the more remote upland areas of the sub-region adjacent to the Peak District. Water and Waste Water A major impact on the South Yorkshire sub-region will be the increased potential for urban areas such as Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster to experience localised flooding due to stormwater overflow, especially during winter months when rainfall is already heaviest and is set to increase into the future. Water treatment processes will beneficially be affected by rising temperatures as chemical and biological processes are accelerated, but low flows in the sub-region’s watercourses could lead to greater pollution as effluent is less readily dispersed during summer months. The principal vulnerability of the water and wastewater infrastructure within the sub-region comes from flooding from rivers and streams, exacerbated in urban areas by surcharging drainage networks. This has the potential to directly inundate water treatment works and wastewater treatment works, and in worst case scenarios bringing their operations to a standstill and releasing pollutants to the neighbouring environment. Furthermore, the ability of the Yorkshire Grid to ensure continued demand is balanced by supply is in part reliant upon mechanical pumping processes to transfer water. Such infrastructure could also be affected by flooding, thereby adversely affecting supply if local sources cannot meet demand. Energy and Telecommunications Rising temperatures will lead to greater sagging on overhead transmission lines and associated loss of efficiency, but there is likely to be, on average, less ice-related damage than in the present day. Subsurface infrastructure such as cabling and pipelines will be slightly more vulnerable to soil movements, but the low plasticity nature of most of the soils means that this will not be a major problem.
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