Irish Water will save over €20,000 per annum in operational costs over the next decade using environmentally friendly processes at the Moylough and Killimor Wastewater Treatment Plants in Co Galway.
A sludge drying reed bed, which acts as a natural filter for the sludge (slurry) which comes out of the wastewater treatment plants, will eliminate the removal of sludge off-site for separate processing.
According to the water company, the cost-saving system will have numerous environmental, compliance, performance and financial rewards. Among the benefits are the removal of tankers carrying sludge from the roads, habitat creation at the treatment plant, greater controls for the caretaker, greater compliance and a reduction in overflow to rivers.
“It is savings like these that add up to the €100 million that has been saved by Irish Water over the past two years,” commented Patrick Real, Irish Water’s Water and Wastewater Process Optimisation Lead for Galway.
Reed bed technology involves low construction costs and minimal day-to-day operation and maintenance costs and is suitable for wastewater treatment plants servicing less than 1,000 people. The Moylough Wastewater Treatment Plant services approximately 450 people, while Killimor services approximately 414 people.
Praising the local process optimisation team who are constantly developing and implementing cost saving measures at water and wastewater treatment plants across the region, he added:
“The outstanding level of expertise that is available in Irish Water means that small tweaks in production or larger scale cost saving measures are constantly being identified and rolled out across the country. This kind of joined up thinking wasn’t previously possible.”
The implementation cost of the process at the two plants and other wastewater treatment plants in Co Galway will be paid back in less than one and a half years.
Flint Walter, Water and Wastewater Process Optimisation Analyst, North West explained the process further:
“The implementation of these reed beds at Moylough and Killimor involves the use of redundant assets. The existing storage chambers were already in place but weren’t in use. Irish Water retrofitted these chambers to construct the reed beds and we are delighted to be able to bring all the benefits associated with reed beds to these Wastewater Treatment Plants.”
Both projects were delivered on time and within budget on behalf of Irish Water by Loughrea -based company GlanAgua.
Both projects were delivered on time and within budget on behalf of Irish Water by Loughrea -based company GlanAgua.
Earlier this month Glan Agua and civil engineering company MEIC Ltd, which are both subsidiaries of Portuguese multinational Mota-Engil Group, announced the creation of new UK and Ireland HQ Centre in Loughrea, Co. Galway which will lead to the creation of 60 new jobs over five years.
Operating on 3 continents and in 22 countries, Mota-Engil comprises 294 companies within four major business areas and three geographical territories - Europe, Africa and Latin America. The company, which employs 29,000 worldwide, is currently ranked 86th of the Top 250 International Contractors worldwide and ranked in the European Top 30.
CEO of Mota-Engil, Gonçalo Moura Martins said:
“With the opening of new offices and the goal of creating 60 new jobs in Ireland in the coming years, Mota-Engil is reaffirming its commitment to this market and our intent to continue to invest in this country in order to be a leader in the technical areas in which we operate. We are also committed to developing career opportunities and training for young local engineers to expand our activity not only in Ireland but also in the UK.”