WASTE WATER WOES
TOWNS AND VILLAGES ACROSS COUNTY WEXFORD ARE FAILING TO MEET EU STANDARDS FOR TREATING WASTE WATER, ACCORDING TO A NEW EPA REPORT. OUTLINES THE KEY FINDINGS
SIGNIFICANT funding is required for waste water treatment if pollution and health risks to be avoided both nationally and locally in County Wexford, where raw sewage is still being discharged into the sea.
Four Wexford towns and villages - Duncannon, Kilmore Quay, Arthurstown and Ballyhack - are included in an EPA list of 43 urban areas discharging untreated waste water at the end of 2015. They are all due to be upgraded by 2019.
Works which have taken place since the end of last year are not included in a newly-published EPA urban waste water report which says 142 large towns and cities complied with the mandatory EU waste water treatment standards during 2015, while 29 failed.
The report makes the worrying comment that annual investment in infrastructure since 2014 has dropped by 40 per cent from the average levels during the previous decade.
It shows that a substantial and sustained increase in investment in public waste water treatment infrastructure is needed to eliminate discharges of raw sewage, comply with European Union treatment standards and protect our environment and public health from the adverse effects of waste water discharges.
The report demonstrates that Ireland is not spending enough, and not spending quickly enough to deal with the problem.
Gerard O’Leary, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said, ‘ the pace of resolving waste water treatment needs to improve.
‘It is not acceptable that the timeframe to eliminate the discharge of raw sewage from over 20 areas has slipped by almost 2 years. We need to see increased capital investment and improved efficiencies in the delivery of the outstanding infrastructure necessary to protect our rivers, lakes and coastal waters and for a more sustainable quality of life.’
The EPA identifies the priorities and calls for resources to be targeted at resolving these issues. • 29 large towns and cities fail to meet mandatory EU waste water treatment standards. The final EU deadline for the provision of such treatment was 2005. • 43 areas are still discharging raw sewage. • 13 collection networks require significant upgrades to meet EU standards and prevent the loss of waste water into the environment. • Waste water discharges contributed to poor quality water at six popular beaches including Merrion Strand, Youghal Front Strand and Duncannon. • Waste water from 45 areas was linked with river pollution, down from 49 in 2013. • 16 waste water schemes require improvements to protect the critically endangered freshwater pearl mussel.
David Flynn, Programme Manager of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said that better operational practices should resolve issues at one fifth of poorly-performing plants.
‘Irish Water needs to improve the performance of these plants to get the most from the existing infrastructure.’
A spokeswoman for Irish Water, which took over responsibility for waste water treatment plants from 2014 said investment was increasing.
‘Using the EPA figures, it is clear that between 2000 and 2010 €270m annually was invested in wastewater infrastructure in Ireland. But she said from 2011 to 2013, there was a 50 percent drop in investment in wastewater infrastructure to €136m.
‘When Irish Water took over responsibility in 2014, the national utility set about reversing that trend. Between 2014 and 2015, Irish Water increased the investment in wastewater to €166m, an increase of 22 per cent . From 2016 - 2021, the remaining period of the Irish Water Business Plan, the utility is ramping up investment to spend an average of €326m per year on wastewater infrastructure.’
Large urban areas of Wexford subject to the EU Directive’s requirements to provide secondary treatment and meet BOD (biological oxygen demand) and COD (chemical oxygen demand) effluent quality standards and which failed to achieve them are: * COURTOWN - GOREY is served by two waste water treatment plants. The larger plant provides secondary treatment, serves a population equivalent of 9,416 and discharges to coastal water. This met the effluent quality standards. The smaller plant provides secondary treatment & P removal, serves a population equivalent of 9,132 and discharges to a river. This failed the effluent quality standards (in 2015, but a new plant has since opened). * ENNISCORTHY is served by two waste water treatment plants. The larger plant, which serves a population equivalent of 17,023, met the effluent quality standards. The smaller plant, serving a population equivalent of 980, persistently failed the BOD, COD and nutrient quality standards. * BALLAGHKEEN is served by two waste water treatment plants. The larger plant, which caters for approximately 80% of the area, met the effluent quality standards. The smaller plant, serving a population equivalent of 124, did not meet the standards but appears to have sufficient capacity (the load is less than the reported capacity of the plan) * CLONROCHE failed quality standards for BOD and COD compliance as did Ferns.
Taghmon was listed in previous assessments but is no longer included as discharges from this area ceased permanently in February 2015 and waste water from Taghmon is now conveyed to Wexford Town for treatment
Enniscorthy is listed as one of 13 large urban areas subject to a waste water discharge licence where the waste water collection system is considered non-compliant with the requirementts of Artcle 3 of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. The estimated date to compliance is 2025.
And Duncannon was one of six towns nationally where waste wate discharged were considered contributing factors to the poor quality classification of the bathing waters, while the ‘water framework’ directive status for Duncormick is considered as poor as is that for Banoge.
In the list of 43 areas discharging untreated waste water at the end of 2015, two towns, Arthurstown and Ballyback, listed as having population equivalents of below 500, have 2019 as an estimated date for treatment, with the same year set for completion in the larger and similarly problematic areas of Duncannon and Kilmore Quay.
The most widespread water quality problem in Ireland continues to be elevated concentrations of nutrients, which can lead to eutrophication. The main nutrients of concern are phosphorus, which tends to drive eutrophication in freshwaters, and nitrogen which tends to drive eutrophication in coastal waters. Waste water discharges are a key source of such nutrients.
Enniscorthy is the only town in the county which failed in this regard. Again 2019 is the estimated date for compliance and the removal of phosphorus.