Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said that while the volume of raw sewage discharged daily in Ireland from wastewater plants has halved since the start of last year, close to three fifths (59%) of water discharged from said plans failed to consistently meet EPA standards.
The environmental protection body said that nearly half of these failures were down to ‘poor operational management at existing treatment plants’, however it noted that delays by Ireland’s water authority, Uisce Éireann, in delivering much-needed infrastructure improvements are prolonging risks to water quality.
Priority areas
Investment in key focus areas has reaped benefits, but a lot more needs to be done, Pat Byrne, director of the EPA’s Office of Radiation Protection and Environmental Monitoring, commented, “Targeting improvements at priority areas identified by the EPA is delivering environmental benefits. The new treatment plants built to stop discharges of raw sewage from areas such as Arklow and Kilrush are clear examples of this progress.
“However, delays in designing and delivering infrastructural upgrades required at many more areas are prolonging negative impacts on water quality and the wider environment.”
The EPA said that operational and maintenance issues ‘can and must’ be resolved as a matter of urgency, while infrastructural deficits represent a longer-term challenge that will require substantial and sustained investment.
Uisce Éireann
The EPA has identified some 78 priority areas where improvements need to be made, with Uisce Éireann yet to commence works needed at half of these.
“Uisce Éireann must accelerate the pace of delivery of essential upgrades at priority areas to ensure cleaner rivers, estuaries, lakes and coastal waters and support a healthier environment for all,” Byrne added.
As the EPA noted, some 14 large towns and cities across Ireland failed to meet European-wide wastewater treatment standards in 2024, compared to six the previous year, an indication that Uisce Éireann needs to take urgent action to ‘prevent previously compliant treatment plants slipping into non-compliance’.
“Too many wastewater treatment plants are failing to meet licence standards due to poor management and maintenance practices,” added Noel Byrne, EPA programme manager. “This is simply not good enough. When treatment plants break down or are not managed properly, our environment pays the price.
“The EPA has prosecuted Uisce Éireann on 28 occasions for failing to treat wastewater properly. Poor operational performance will not be tolerated by the EPA. Uisce Éireann must take immediate action to improve the operation and management of treatment plants and implement effective maintenance programmes to prevent equipment breakdowns.” Read more here.
