IRISH Water is moving forward with plans to construct new wastewater treatment plants in Foynes and Glin along with ongoing upgrades to existing plants at seven other locations in Limerick City and County.
An update on investment in the Limerick wastewater infrastructure was given by Irish Water Regional Operations Manager Ian O’Mahony, following the release of the latest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Report which found that only 51 per cent of Ireland’s sewage is being treated to EU standards.
Mr O’Mahony said that the scale of delivery of critical infrastructure was unprecedented and Irish Water was on track to increase that further over the coming years.
“In Limerick, we are progressing plans to construct new wastewater treatment plants in Foynes and Glin.
“Investment in upgrading the wastewater infrastructure in Castletroy, Bunlicky, Hospital, Croom, Dromcollogher, Adare and Newcastle West will lead to improvements in water quality, while also supporting housing and economic development in these areas.
“Irish Water’s targeted programme of investment in existing wastewater infrastructure is also reaping benefits for communities around the country. The building of new treatment plants and upgrading of existing ones has led to continued improvements in the quality of receiving waters.
“As a result of this progress, the impact of urban wastewater on catchment waters has continued to reduce. In the first River Basin Management Plan, prior to the establishment of Irish Water, urban wastewater was identified as the second most dominant pressure on receiving waters; this has now reduced to the fourth and we expect that, by 2027, urban wastewater will be down to seventh.
“This demonstrates our commitment to improve overall water quality in Ireland’s rivers, lakes and seas and reflects the significant progress in upgrading wastewater infrastructure and optimising operations at wastewater treatment plants,” Mr O’Mahony added.
