Wastewater treatment at 10 cities and large towns is failing to meet EU standards set to protect the environment, the EPA has found.
Large population centres not meeting the required standard include Dublin (due to ongoing capacity issues at Ringsend wastewater treatment facility), Limerick, Arklow and Malahide.
All deficient wastewater works must be brought up to the standards required to protect the environment, the EPA warns in its annual wastewater report (for 2023) published on Friday. But based on Uisce Éireann’s own estimates, “this could take over two decades and will require substantial investment”, it said.
The utility’s slow progress in designing and delivering solutions needed at waters most affected by wastewater discharges “are prolonging impacts on water quality”, and it must “prioritise prompt delivery of these essential works” at these locations, it says.
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The EPA acknowledges a 45 per cent reduction in towns and villages discharging raw sewage since the start of 2023, but found “discharges from over half of treatment plants did not always meet licence standards set to prevent pollution”.
The number of towns and villages discharging raw sewage every day has reduced from 29 down to 16. “Nevertheless, wastewater treatment at many areas is not good enough to prevent wastewater discharges from impacting the quality of rivers, estuaries, lakes and coastal waters,” it adds.
As it is not possible to fix all problems in the short term, it says improvements must be prioritised where needed most.
The EPA identified 73 priority areas where improvements are most urgently needed. “Uisce Éireann has not yet started upgrade works at half of these,” it said.
EPA director Dr Tom Ryan said: “Investment has resulted in stopping raw sewage discharges during the past year from 13 towns and villages that were priority areas highlighted by the EPA. This demonstrates that such investment protects our environment and benefits our local communities.”
Upgrade of Ireland’s largest treatment plant at Ringsend was well advanced, he said.
“Without an ambitious and sustained investment programme to build out wastewater treatment infrastructure, it could take over two decades to achieve the required standards to protect the environment,” Dr Ryan said.
[ Regulator says Irish Water will miss key targets this yearOpens in new window ]
The EPA says Uisce Éireann’s slow progress in designing and delivering solutions needed at waters most affected by discharges means pollution is allowed continue, where it should be prioritising “prompt delivery of these essential works”.
The urban wastewater treatment directive sets EU treatment standards for large towns and cities. Among 10 areas that failed these basic standards in 2023 were Lahinch, Co Clare; Aughrim, Co Wicklow; Ballina-Killaloe on the river Shannon; Moville, Co Donegal; and Cloyne and Rathcormac in Co Cork.
It is unacceptable that more than half of licensed treatment plants do not always meet EU standards, with issues ranging from short-term breaches of treatment standards up to continuous discharges of raw sewage, said EPA programme manager Noel Byrne.
[ Ireland referred to EU court over water management failuresOpens in new window ]
Short-term breaches should be resolved through effective management and maintenance of equipment, he said, while “Uisce Éireann must address infrastructural deficits at priority areas highlighted by the EPA during its 2025 to 2029 investment cycle. This will help deliver significant environmental benefits and protect water quality.”
The report calls on Uisce Éireann to speed up overdue assessments of how wastewater discharges impact shellfish waters, and to collect better information about discharges of untreated wastewater through storm water overflows during periods of high rainfall. It also highlights 500 incidents of equipment breakdown at treatment works during 2023.
A total of 400 storm water overflows on collecting systems (sewers) do not meet national standards set to limit pollution, it finds. Some 30 years after Member States had to bring provisions into force to comply with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive Ireland has not complied with the directive at all areas.
Uisce Éireann said it was “making strong progress in addressing priority issues following decades of underinvestment”, with raw sewage discharges eliminated in 41 of 50 areas – an 82 per cent reduction.
It added that 94 per cent of treatment plants were compliant with the directive, while 136 treatment plants had been built or upgraded since 2014.
The utility said, however, multibillion-euro investment would be required over many decades to achieve the necessary standards.
In Ireland’s first River Basin Management Plan, prior to the establishment of Irish Water, urban wastewater was identified as the second most dominant pressure on receiving waters; this has now reduced to the fourth which is the largest sectoral achievement and we have plans to continue this downward trend in our next investment cycle, it said.
Since 2014, the utility has ended the discharge of raw sewage in 82% of the agglomerations where this was occurring. 41 out of the original 50 locations identified as discharging raw sewage nationally now have new wastewater infrastructure in place or have projects under construction. This includes 13 completed in 2023 and to date in 2024.
The utility pointed out Arklow wastewater treatment plant was an example of ongoing progress. “The €139 million Arklow Sewerage Scheme is nearing completion. Works to the sewer network are complete and Uisce Éireann has recently begun the testing of the new Wastewater Treatment Plant. The plant is expected to be fully operational by 2025,” it added.
Michael Tinsley, Uisce Éireann’s senior wastewater delivery manager said: “Our once-in-a-generation plan to eliminate raw sewage discharges is on track to bring what can only be described as a life-changing improvement to communities around Ireland.
“Cleaner waters, greater capacity for development and an enhanced environment are just some of the benefits these projects have delivered. We look forward to continuing the excellent progress being made to date, while acknowledging that delays remain in some areas, particularly in relation to legal challenges to planning and other consents, which are largely outside Uisce Éireann’s control.”
Uisce Éireann is currently carrying out a €550 million upgrade at the Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Plant – which treats 40 per cent of the country’s wastewater. This will enable it to treat the increasing volumes of wastewater arriving at the plant to the required standard.
The project will deliver, on a phased basis, the capacity to treat the wastewater for a population equivalent of 2.4 million while achieving the standards of the urban wastewater treatment directive. When Ringsend comes into compliance, it is expected that more than 95 per cent of wastewater generated in large urban areas will be treated to the required standards.
Uisce Éireann completed construction of the infrastructure in Ringsend to treat the wastewater for a population equivalent of 2.1 million at the end of 2023. Following a period of testing and commissioning the upgraded assets are operational and the EPA notes that this is already improving effluent quality.
Challenges remain particularly in relation to the condition of parts of the sewer network and collection systems, the utility said. “Many of these issues are as a result of underinvestment in these networks over many decades. There are over 26,000 km of public sewers in Ireland and an estimated 2,600 documented storm water overflows (SWOS).
“These SWOS are an integral part of any wastewater network and are necessary to prevent flooding of homes and public areas during times of extreme rainfall. Uisce Éireann is carrying out assessments of all these SWOS, the outcome of which will inform investment decisions and prioritisation through future investment cycles.”
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