New €9 million wastewater treatment plant announced for Belmullet
WORKS to develop a €9 million wastewater treatment plant in Belmullet town will begin next week, Irish Water has confirmed.
The new treatment plant, set to take 18 months to complete, will assist in maintaining Belmullet’s place as a leading tourism area and allow for additional growth, as well as bring benefits to the town and surrounding areas in terms of health, environmental protection and improved water quality for all.
This project will ensure that wastewater is treated and discharged in compliance with the Urban Wastewater Treatment Regulations 2001 and conditions as set out in the EPA’s Wastewater Discharge Licence (WWDL). It will also improve the water quality of nearby coastal areas, protecting bathing areas and the aquatic environment from pollution.
Belmullet is currently on the EPA’s published list of 44 sites with no wastewater treatment facilities and one of the primary drivers for this project is the protection of Broadhaven Bay and Blacksod Bay, both Special Areas of Conservation and designated shellfish waters.
Works will commence on School Road and Sea Road next Tuesday (July 12). The School Road works are expected to last for approximately eight weeks and will involve a temporary road diversion where traffic will be diverted along Chapel Street and Quay Street. The Sea Road works are expected to last approximately 10 weeks and a temporary road diversion will be in place diverting traffic along Blacksod Road and Ballyglass Road.
During these works, local access will be maintained to try to minimise disruption. In order to support local businesses and tourism, all roads will be accessible during the Belmullet Gala Festival from August 12 to August 21. Irish Water apologises for any inconvenience these necessary works cause.
Roadbridge Limited and EPS Group are working on behalf of Irish Water to deliver the project, which has been designed and will be built to meet the current needs of the towns and will have an extra design capacity of 25 per cent to allow for growth. This is in line with standard practice for all such plants as approved by the CER (Commission for Energy Regulation) and means that investment, businesses or additional development coming to the area will be catered for.
This project forms part of Irish Water’s investment plan where over €530 million will be invested in upgrading services in 2016 to improve the country’s water and wastewater infrastructure. The Irish Water Business Plan has earmarked almost €2 billion in improving wastewater quality and capacity up to 2021.