WASTE WATER from more than half of the country’s sewage treatment plants failed to reach EU quality standards in 2006 and 2007, according to a report released yesterday by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
And only one local authority fully complied with the requirements of the EU urban waste water treatment directive.
Urban Waste Water Dischargesin Ireland reviewed the quality of discharges from 370 secondary waste-water treatment plants around the country.
While it found that 90 per cent of waste water in the country received secondary treatment or better, in over half the plants, 192, the discharge did not meet EU standards. These included the Ringsend plant in Dublin and nine plants in Galway.
In a further 112 areas, waste water was discharged directly into estuaries or coastal waters with either basic treatment or no treatment at all in 2007. To date, this has continued in 93 locations.
Among the locations with the largest populations receiving little or no treatment were Killybegs in the Donegal County Council area, Shanganagh in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown and Bray, Wicklow town and Arklow in Co Wicklow. These were among 20 areas required by the directive to have secondary treatment plants in place by the end of 2005 and still do not have them.
While many of the 20 are now under construction, it is expected that some will not be built until 2013, eight-years later than required.
The report found only one local authority, Longford County Council, fully complied with the requirements of the directive.
Insufficient or incorrect sampling accounted for a quarter of the non-compliances. Other problems included poor sludge management and inadequate collecting systems for waste water.
The report listed 13 rivers “seriously polluted” by municipal waste water, including three in Donegal.
Gerard O’Leary, programme manager with the EPA, said the compliance levels for waste water quality were very disappointing. The discharge from plants only needed to be analysed 12 times a year at a cost of €50 a month, so it was difficult to understand why this was not being done, he said.
“Continued investment in waste water treatment is required, as well as a dramatic improvement by local authorities in the operation and monitoring of existing water treatment infrastructure,” he said.
Mr O’Leary also said the Ringsend plant was currently operating beyond its design capacity and would struggle to meet discharge standards. While the plant served 2.87 million people, it was designed to serve 1.64 million.
Other plants too small for the population they serve included plants at Kenmare, Co Kerry, Enniscrone, Co Sligo and Thurles, Co Tipperary.
Mr O’Leary said the 18-year-old directive did not include sanctions, but new regulations introduced in late 2007 established a licensing system for sewage treatment plants. The authority will eventually be able to prosecute if plants do not comply with the conditions of these licences.
This could result in fines of between €5,000 and €500,000 imposed on local authorities.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley expressed concern at the levels of non-compliance with the standards and said it was unacceptable that 25 per cent could be attributed to insufficient sampling by local authorities.
“I will be instructing my department to engage with the EPA and with the local authorities in order to identify and agree procedures including training and up-skilling of operators which will assist individual waste-water treatment facilities to comply with the regulatory standards and with discharge licences and sampling requirements,” the Minister said.
Plants that discharge directly into estuaries or coastal waters with just basic treatment or no treatment
Preliminary treatment
To screen out, grind up or separate debris is the first step in waste water treatment. Sticks, rags, large food particles, sand, gravel, toys etc are removed at this stage.
Primary treatment
Second step in treatment which separates suspended solids and greases from waste water
CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL
Clarecastle (no treatment); Corofin (primary treatment); Kilkee (no treatment); Kilrush (no treatment); Scarriff (primary treatment).
CORK (SOUTH) COUNTY COUNCIL
Ballingeary (primary treatment); Ballymakeera (primary treatment); Carrigaline (no treatment); Coachford (primary treatment); Cobh (no treatment); Crosshaven (preliminary treatment); Innishannon (primary treatment); Kinsale (preliminary treatment); Passage/Monkstown (no treatment); Youghal (no treatment).
CORK (WEST) COUNTY COUNCIL
Ballydehob (primary treatment); Baltimore (primary treatment); Bantry (no treatment); Castletownbere (no treatment); Courtmacsherry (no treatment); Glengarriff (primary treatment); Rosscarbery/Owenahincha (primary treatment); Schull (primary treatment); Skibbereen (no treatment).
DONEGAL COUNTY COUNCIL
Buncrana (primary treatment); Bundoran (preliminary treatment); Carrigart (primary treatment); Castlefinn (primary treatment); Convoy (primary treatment); Downings (primary treatment); Dunfanaghy/Portnablagh (primary treatment); Dungloe (primary treatment); Dunkineeley (primary treatment); Falcarragh (primary treatment); Glenties (primary treatment); Kilcar (preliminary treatment); Killybegs (no treatment); Lifford (primary treatment); Moville (no treatment); Ramelton (primary treatment); Rathmullan (primary treatment); Rathmullan (primary treatment).
DÚN LAOGHAIRE-RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL
Shanganagh (preliminary treatment).
FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL
Howth/Baldoyle/Portmarnock (no treatment); Loughshinny (primary treatment); Rush (no treatment); Lusk (primary treatment).
GALWAY COUNTY COUNCIL
Ahascragh (preliminary treatment); Clifden (primary treatment); Clonbur (preliminary treatment); Dunmore (primary treatment); Eyrecourt (primary treatment); Glenamaddy (primary treatment).
KERRY COUNTY COUNCIL
Ardfert (primary treatment); Ballyduff (primary treatment); Ballyferriter (primary treatment); Ballylongford (primary treatment); Fenit (primary treatment); Glenbeigh (primary treatment); Tarbert (primary treatment); Waterville (primary treatment).
KILDARE COUNTY COUNCIL
Ballymore Eustace (primary treatment).
KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL
Bennettsbridge (primary treatment); Johnstown (primary treatment).
LIMERICK COUNTY COUNCIL
Foynes (no treatment); Glin (no treatment).
LONGFORD COUNTY COUNCIL
Drumlish (primary treatment); Newtownforbes (primary treatment).
LOUTH COUNTY COUNCIL
Collon (no treatment); Knockbridge (no treatment).
MAYO COUNTY COUNCIL
Belmullet (no treatment); Killala (no treatment); Kiltimagh (primary treatment); Newport (no treatment).
SLIGO COUNTY COUNCIL
Mullaghmore (primary treatment); Rosses Point (primary treatment).
TIPPERARY SOUTH COUNTY COUNCIL
Cappawhite (primary treatment).
WATERFORD COUNTY COUNCIL
Ardmore (preliminary treatment); Cappoquin (primary treatment); Dunmore East (preliminary treatment); Kilmacthomas (primary treatment); Stradbally (primary treatment); Tallow (primary treatment).
WEXFORD COUNTY COUNCIL
Bunclody (primary treatment); Campile (primary treatment); Duncannon (no treatment) Fethard-on-Sea (primary treatment); Kilmore Quay (no treatment); New Ross (no treatment).
WICKLOW COUNTY COUNCIL
Arklow (no treatment); Avoca (primary treatment); Bray (preliminary treatment); Wicklow (preliminary treatment).
