On of the State’s largest investments in urban waste water treatment is to be marked in the midlands on Friday with the sod turning on construction of a €114 million main drainage plant for Athlone.
The three-year project will address a decades long problem of sewage overflowing in the town and into the Shannon during heavy rains.
The Shannon is a designated Nutrient Sensitive Area, and Athlone Town is one of the locations cited in a 2019 European Court of Justice judgment against Ireland for failure to comply with the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive regarding the discharge of untreated stormwater into sensitive areas.
The scheme will involve the elimination of occasional sewer overflows at six locations and the construction of two new storm water drains along with two tunnels under the Shannon. Two new pumping stations at Golden Island and Coosan West will be developed with almost three kilometres of new pipework.
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The project received Cabinet approval last July and contractors Ward & Burke Construction Ltd were appointed in late 2022.
Uisce Éireann (formerly Irish Water) said the construction will be aligned with the implementation of the OPW’s flood defence works in the town.
The utility company said “crucially”, the new scheme will ensure that wastewater treatment meets environmental standards set by the EU and enhance water quality in the Shannon while significantly reducing the risk of sewer flooding to homes and businesses. The project also provides capacity for future housing growth and development of industry in the town. Some €5.6m has already been invested in an upgrade of the Athlone wastewater treatment plant.
The sod turning, by Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien, takes place on the site of the new wastewater pumping station at Golden Island. Mr O’Brien said the upgrade was “pivotal for future growth and development”.
“It will reduce flooding, protect our environment and crucially, will provide the capacity we need for more homes and development in the region,” he said.
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CEO of Uisce Éireann, Niall Gleeson described the project as “a large undertaking for us and our delivery partners and marks another big milestone in our work to ensure that wastewater is adequately treated and meets appropriate standards before being safely discharged to the environment”.
The 2019 EU Court of Justice ruling found that Ireland had failed to uphold EU law in relation to almost 30 wastewater treatment schemes. According to the judgment, the State failed to ensure safe practices of sewage treatments in Athlone, Cork City, Enniscorthy, Fermoy, Mallow, Middleton and Roscommon Town.
The ECJ also found the State guilty of failing to treat wastewater that was discharged in sensitive areas in 16 different schemes including those in Killarney, Longford, Dundalk, Navan, Nenagh, Portarlington, Roscrea and Tralee.
Uisce Éireann has said that most cases of noncompliance occurred due to lack of investment in its waste water treatment schemes over decades.
The Government has since said it is committing the resources necessary to tackle the legacy problems of wastewater infrastructure. The Department of Housing said the necessary resources would tackle the deficiencies identified by the EU, as well as providing the infrastructure to underpin sustainable development in the future.
