The body in charge of wastewater, Uisce Eireann, has acknowledged it is “completely unacceptable” that raw sewage is spilling into more than 20 areas across Ireland.
An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report published on Thursday found that sewage is spilling untreated into towns and villages.
Uisce Eireann, formerly known as Irish Water, has committed to ending this practice by 2025.
The EPA criticised the utility company for not having a plan in place to prevent the pollution of rivers and coastal waters, including a pre-emptive approach to equipment breaking down.
It said that more than half of Ireland’s wastewater discharges do not meet EU standards set to protect the environment.
Uisce Eireann’s wastewater spokesman, Michael Tinsley, acknowledged that “the discharge of raw sewage is completely unacceptable”.
He told RTE Radio that the report “highlights the significant progress” made to fix long-standing issues, and that 450 million euro spent on wastewater infrastructure last year represented the highest ever investment.
He said that since Uisce Eireann’s establishment in 2014, there were 50 areas where raw sewage was being discharged untreated.
He said that although the EPA report said this has reduced to 26, four further areas have been completed “in recent months” and work is ongoing in another 11 areas.
. @IrishWater still does not have clear plans to prevent pollution from wastewater discharges at some of the most significantly impacted water bodies, and it is vital these are resolved through its new investment plan. More: https://t.co/cKKXfwtI6m pic.twitter.com/syRkRzxTtj
— EPA Ireland (@EPAIreland) October 26, 2023
Although acknowledging progress that has been made by Uisce Eireann, the EPA expressed concerns that delays prolong the risk to the environment and public health.
The director of the EPA, Dr Tom Ryan, said: “While it is encouraging to see continued progress in stopping the unacceptable practice of discharging raw sewage into our environment, wastewater remains a significant pressure on Ireland’s waterways and is adversely impacting water quality.
“The pace at which Uisce Eireann is delivering improvements needs to accelerate to prevent pollution and protect water quality.”
EPA programme manager Noel Byrne said: “It is welcome that Uisce Eireann is currently building infrastructure at large urban areas, including Ringsend and Arklow, which are designed to treat wastewater to a high standard.
“However, poor management practices at upgraded plants, such as Skibbereen and Courtmacsherry, caused inadequately treated sewage to discharge into the environment.
“This is not acceptable as these plants have sufficient treatment capacity.
“Uisce Eireann must implement effective maintenance programmes for existing infrastructure and improve its operation and management of treatment plants to prevent such failures in future.”
