€1bn for Dublin sewage and water treatment

Dublin City Council is to spend €1.13 billion on sewage and water treatment schemes over the next six years on top of funding for its Ringsend sewage plant.

The council is currently spending €24.5 million annually on the controversial sewerage plant built in 2003 for €300 million. It plans to spend €50 million on extending the plant, which has already reached capacity.

The council does not intend to seek planning permission for the extension until it has eliminated an odour problem which has affected the communities of Ringsend, Sandymount and Irishtown since the plant opened.

Of the €24.5 million allocated to the plant in 2006, €5 million is bring spent on odour-alleviation measures.

In addition to the Ringsend works, the council is planning a major new water services investment programme to meet the city's needs to 2013. It has earmarked 27 schemes around the city which must be completed if drinking water standards are to be maintained, floods avoided and sewage safely processed.

The package of proposed schemes will be put out to public consultation next month before the assessment of needs is finalised by the council's engineering department at the end of July.

The council is proposing to undertake 14 clean-water projects, 12 sewage and wastewater schemes, which include flood relief and prevention programmes, and one combined measuring project for water and waste-water systems.

The estimated costs of the individual projects vary from €1 million to €2 million for minor refurbishments and studies, to a possible €200 million for a water mains rehabilitation programme that aims to stop leaks.

However estimates for the larger projects vary widely, and the leaks programme could cost as little as €50 million depending on the extent of work needed.

Anti-flooding measures account for a large proportion of the budget.

Some €60 million to €100 million will be spent on measures to reduce the risk of coastal flooding, €12 million is earmarked for flood protection works on the River Dodder from Ballsbridge to the coast, €10 million is to be spent on city-wide flood response and prevention measures and €5 million is to be spent on a flood early-warning system.

Between €120 million and €140 million has been set aside for a drainage relief scheme for the city centre, with the same amount allocated for the Docklands drainage scheme.

A number of the schemes will benefit housing and industrial developments or encourage new building. These may receive co-funding from developers.

Co-funding for other large schemes could be sourced from the Office of Public Works.