Irish Water is investing €2.7m in flow monitoring and performance sampling equipment in wastewater treatment plants across the North and West region as part of a €10m nationwide project which will provide enhanced protection for rivers and coastal waters.
Three separate contracts are currently underway across the North and West region as part of the project, which will also allow Irish Water to identify where investment is needed in the wastewater infrastructure to facilitate future development in the county’s towns and villages.
The investment makes critical wastewater flow and load data available on a consistent basis for the first time ever, helping to improve the performance of the treatment plants while also helping protect the waterways into which treated wastewater is discharged.
When it is completed, plant operators and engineers will have the data and tools to enable them to better manage the treatment processes, measure performance and react quicker to any sudden changes such as a storm event.
There are three separate contracts underway in the region. The first has been completed and represented an investment of €1.7 million in Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Monaghan and Sligo.
A second contract worth €500,000 is currently underway in parts of in Cavan, Galway, Monaghan and Roscommon and a third contract also costing €500,000 is taking place in Donegal and Mayo.
The programme involves the installation of flow measurement devices, storm event recorders and sampling equipment at treatment plants in strategic locations around the region. The project will also ensure compliance with EPA Wastewater Discharge Authorisations with respect to monitoring and sampling requirements.
The project is being rolled out under a national flow monitoring and sampling programme where approximately €10m is being invested across 400 wastewater treatment plants of varying sizes to comply with EPA licence requirements.
This will help build flow and load profiles which in turn will help form strategies for upgrading, maintaining, improving plant efficiencies and ensuring early identification where investment is required to meet future demands on wastewater infrastructure.
John McElwaine, Irish Water’s Capital Programmes Regional Lead, said:
“Protecting Ireland’s waterways and coastal areas is a key priority for Irish Water. Currently we collect wastewater from over 1,000 separate communities connected to the wastewater network and treat around 1.6 billion litres of wastewater daily before safely discharging it back into our rivers, harbours and coastal areas. This project will allow us to monitor and improve the quality of this discharge, thereby protecting our coasts and waterways.”
“It will also allow us to determine the capacity requirements of our treatment plants to facilitate the growth of new communities and businesses. “
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