Irish Water has today announced it will invest approximately €9 million as part of the upgrade of Ballybofey and Stranorlar wastewater treatment plant in partnership with Donegal County Council.
Local Cllr Patrick McGowan has welcomed the announced upgrade, which will bring benefits to the town and surrounding areas in terms of development potential, environmental protection, and improved water quality.
Commenting on the project, Colm Claffey, Irish Water’s Infrastructure Programme Regional Lead said: “The upgrade works will increase the treatment capacity of the plant to meet the current needs of the town 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 the River Finn and the aquatic environment from pollution.”
The contract, which was signed by Irish Water and Response Engineering Ltd on Wednesday, March 7, will see the work commence on site in May 2018. Irish Water expects these works to last for approximately 16 months and upon completion the newly upgraded wastewater treatment plant will serve a future population equivalent (PE) of 9,200.
The Ballybofey and Stranorlar plant was identified in the recent annual EPA Wastewater Report as non-compliant with European wastewater directives. Upon completion, these works will ensure that the plant is compliant with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations and the Environmental Protection Agency’s license.
Irish Water said that capital investment in the region of €700 million 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 €5.5bn investment in capital spending on drinking water and wastewater quality and capacity and new infrastructure up to 2021 while achieving efficiencies of €1.6bn.
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