Four Sligo Towns To Receive Major Upgrade Of Wastewater Treatment Plants

Irish Water, working in partnership with Sligo County Council, has announced it will invest approximately €16M as part of the upgrade of four wastewater treatment plants in County Sligo, namely Grange, Strandhill, Tubbercurry and Ballinafad.

The upgrade will bring benefits to the each of the towns and surrounding areas in terms of development potential, environmental protection, and improved water quality for all.

Commenting on the project, Colm Claffey, Irish Water’s Programme Regional Lead said: “The upgrade works will increase the treatment capacity of each of the plants to meet the current needs of the towns and to allow for growth. The works will also ensure that wastewater is treated and discharged in compliance with the Urban Wastewater Treatment Regulations 2001, and conditions set out in the Wastewater Discharge Licence (WWDL) issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. It will also improve the water quality of nearby coastal areas, protecting bathing areas and the aquatic environment from pollution.”

The contract, which was signed by Irish Water and Coffey Northumbrian Ltd on Wednesday, November 15, will see the work commence on site in February 2018. Irish Water expects these works to last for approximately 22 months and upon completion the newly upgraded wastewater treatment plants will serve a future population equivalent (PE) of 8,300.

The project team will ensure that the local community is notified in advance of works commencing at each location and are provided with contact details should they have any questions. Irish Water would like to take the opportunity to thank local property owners who provided wayleaves to facilitate the works for their cooperation to date.

Capital investment in the region of €700M per year is needed for a sustained period of several decades to address the poor condition of Ireland’s water infrastructure. Works have been prioritised to address the most critical issues in line with commitments outlined in Irish Water’s Business Plan up to 2021. Delivery of the business plan will involve a €5.5B investment in capital spending on drinking water and wastewater quality and capacity and new infrastructure up to 2021 while achieving efficiencies of €1.6B.