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Untreated wastewater that poses an “unacceptable risk” flows into the environment from 35 cities and towns every day, according to a new report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The EPA’s 2019 Urban Wastewater Treatment Report highlights that delays in upgrading treatment systems across the country are prolonging risks to the environment and public health.
Of the 35 areas that have raw sewage flowing into the environment, 33 are unlikely to receive treatment until after 2021. 13 of the areas were in Munster at the end of 2019.
Six are in Cork and only one, Cobh, is expected to be treated next year.
The EPA reported that Ballycotton, Castletownbere, Castletownshend, Inchigeelagh and Whitegate – Aghada will be treated in 2022.
Five locations in Clare continue to release raw sewage into the environment and none of them are scheduled for treatment next year.
Ballyvaughan, Clarecastle, Kilrush and Liscannor will be treated in 2022 and Kilkee is scheduled for treatment in 2023.
Two more areas are in Limerick, and Foynes and Glin have a treatment date of 2024.
The report has found that there are 113 areas where priority action is needed to protect public health and the environment.
The report found that in Cork, there were seven areas that did not meet EU treatment standards, while there were three in Clare and one in Waterford.
The report says that Ireland is not adequately treating wastewater for lack of adequate treatment infrastructure.
Citing examples, he said that five towns and cities, including Cork, do not have the strictest level of treatment necessary to remove nutrients from wastewater discharged into sensitive areas.
It also indicated that there are no treatment plants serving Arklow, Cobh and Moville.
“These three cities continually discharge untreated sewage into the environment,” he said.
It also found that 19 large towns and cities, including Dublin and Cork, have not met EU standards for preventing pollution.
The agency said “continuing problems” in Dublin, which is served by Ringsend’s treatment plant, are cause for concern “because it produces almost half (44%) of Ireland’s wastewater.”
“The Ringsend plant repeatedly fails to meet treatment standards because it does not have the ability to effectively treat all the wastewater it receives. Irish Water is improving the plant and warns that it will be completed in 2025 ”.
The EPA said that “some performance improvements were evident last year, with the elimination of untreated wastewater discharges from one city and treatment improvements in nine cities and towns where wastewater was the main problem.”
Despite the improvements, the agency has been critical of Irish Water.
“Irish Water has repeatedly reviewed its plans and extended the timeline for providing treatment to cities and towns, including those that are discharging raw sewage,” the EPA said.
Dr. Tom Ryan, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Compliance, said raw sewage discharges “pose an unacceptable risk to the environment and public health.”
The EPA said Irish Water “is not treating wastewater to European Union and national standards.”
Commenting on the report, Dr. Ryan said: “Two years ago, Irish Water reported that it would provide the necessary treatment infrastructure by the end of 2021 for 30 of the 35 areas that discharge raw sewage.
“Now it has reviewed this to only two areas, which has caused significant delays in the completion of projects.
“Increasing uncertainty in Irish Water’s planning and execution of these critical projects is undermining confidence in its ability to reduce risks to public health and the environment in a timely manner.
The plans are only effective if they are implemented, and the inherent uncertainty of these plans is a serious cause for concern to EPA. Irish Water must remedy the underlying causes of the delays in the delivery of this critical infrastructure to ensure that wastewater discharges are eliminated. ”
Andy Fanning, Program Manager for EPA’s Office of Environmental Compliance, added: “This work should be a priority for Irish Water and will be closely monitored by EPA.
“However, there is no clear plan to improve treatment in 23 areas where wastewater is a significant threat to water at risk of contamination.
“Irish Water must clearly identify when and how it will solve problems in these 23 areas and plan for improvement works as soon as possible.”
Irish Water said it “takes note” of the EPA report, adding that “as described in the report, Irish Water has made significant progress to date with the delivery of critical wastewater projects across the country in addition to a portfolio of key projects under construction and planning phases. ”
However, speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, Mr. Gleeson acknowledged that Irish Water is behind schedule with many of its plans, but claimed that much progress had been made since the establishment of the utility in 2014.
It also admitted that the EPA’s claim in the report that Irish Water does not treat wastewater according to national and European Union standards was correct.
Gleeson said 130 areas have been taken off the priority list since 2014, and while there were plans for the remaining 113, many of the delays were due to issues related to the legal process, planning and land acquisition.
Work will begin at a plant in Wicklow next year, he explained. Planning for this project originally began in 1993 and was “stuck” in legal challenges for 15 years. This indicated that there was a 10-year process to put the plants into operation, he said.
While everyone wanted wastewater treatment in their town or city, “no one wants it next to their home or business.”
Irish Water is now in the process of spending € 500 million on upgrading the Ringsend plant in Dublin and will be upgraded to cope with a population of 2.4 million in 2024, he added.
Irish Water is doing “all it can, as fast as it can” at Ringsend, he said, because it was well aware of the challenges, but it was complex to keep a plant running and upgrade at the same time.
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