Louth fails the test on waste water treatment
A number of centres in the county have fallen foul of EU regulations regarding sewerage treatment.
The EPA’s 2016 Urban Waste Water Treatment Report has listed eight locations in Louth, including Dundalk, Drogheda, Ardee, Blackrock, Dunleer, Castlebellingham, Tallanstown and Omeath as priority areas where ‘improvements are required to resolve environmental priorities.’
Dundalk and Drogheda were found to be non-compliant with more stringent treatment requirements while Ardee was non-compliant with secondary treatment requirements.
The waste water treatment plants at Dundalk, Dunleer, Blackrock, Castlebellingham and Tallanstown were found to be sole threat to Dundalk Bay and the Castletown, Glyde and White rivers, putting these water bodies at risk of not achieving good status.
Following the publication of the report, Irish Water issues a statement outlining its plans for improving facilities in the county.
‘In Co Louth Irish Water has commenced a project to upgrade the Ardee Wastewater Treatment plant. Work is progressing to upgrade the nutrient quality standards at the Drogheda and Dundalk Wastewater Treatment plants and is expected to be compete this year. A project to upgrade the Omeath Wastewater Treatment plant is due to be completed in 2021.’ It also noted that the Blackrock, Castlebellingham, Dunleer, and Tallanstown Wastewater Treatment plants are new to the priority list. ‘Irish Water will assess these locations and identify any necessary actions.’
Sinn Féin President and TD for Louth, Gerry Adams said: ‘ The EPA report reveals serious levels of non-compliance with sewage discharge in parts of Louth. It is a cause for concern.’
‘ The reality is that local infrastructure falls far short of the necessary requirements to effectively manage these matters because of the consistent failure by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour.
‘ The EPA report makes for damning reading. Raw sewage is being released into the environment from 44 urban areas. Works to eliminate raw sewage from many areas are delayed by up to three years. Improvements are needed at 148 urban areas to comply with EU treatment standards.
‘Significant capital investment is needed to upgrade deficient waste water treatment systems, improve water quality and avoid financial penalties. The government’s failure to invest properly means that the State is being brought to the European Court of Justice for breaching the urban waste water treatment directive and could be liable for large fines.’