Irish Water under fire from regulator on urban wastewater performance

Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reported that just 51 per cent of the state’s sewage is being treated to EU standards to protect the environment. The European average for compliance on sewage treatment is 90%.

The agency has warned that poorly treated sewage is harming the quality of the country's rivers, lakes and coastal waters and that Ireland is failing to meet EU directives.

In its annual report on urban wastewater treatment for 2021, the EPA said 32 towns and villages are still discharging raw sewage into the environment every day. The agency complained that Irish Water has no clear plan to improve treatment in one-third or 27 priority areas where wastewater discharges are impacting rivers, lakes, and coastal waters.

The report noted that Ireland's largest treatment plant at Ringsend in Dublin is overloaded and is consistently failing to treat sewage to the required standards.

Irish Water’s infrastructure delivery director Brian Sheehan said: “Irish Water is committed to protecting and enhancing our natural environment by ensuring the highest standards are applied to wastewater treatment throughout Ireland.

“The scale of delivery of this critical infrastructure is unprecedented: last year we invested €367m in Ireland’s wastewater – the highest ever in a single year – and we are on track to increase that further over the coming years as we strive to deliver best in class wastewater services for Ireland now and in the future.”