Irish Water/ Uisce Eireann’s promises over the last decade to provide a new sewerage treatment plant in Newport are no longer credible. That’s the view of local Fianna Fail councillor Brendan Mulroy.
The councilor says that since 2016 the utility com[any has given dates for the start and completion of the new facility and none of the dates have been delivered on and in the meantime raw/ untreated sewerage continues to be pumped into the Bay at Newport.
Councillors in West Mayo Municipal District together with the local campaign group – Newport Sewerage Group – now plan to take to the street, and to protest outside Irish Water’s Offices in Castlebar next month.
Councillor Mulroy told Midwest News Editor Teresa O’Malley that action is now required rather than more unfulfilled promises…
Midwest News made contact with Uisce Éireann for a response, and were issued with the following:
Uisce Eireann update on progress to provide a wastewater treatment plant and outfall at Newport, Co Mayo
In 2014, Uisce Eireann inherited 44 (later increased to 50) areas where raw sewage was discharging untreated into the environment. Many of these were complex projects to plan and deliver and three of them were in Mayo (Belmullet, Killala and Newport).
Given the scale of the challenge faced by Uisce Eireann to address this problem in 50 locations and the level of investment that would be needed to address these discharges, Uisce Éireann needed to prioritise the areas with the largest volume of sewage being discharged which was having the biggest impact on the environment.
Since 2014 we have built new wastewater infrastructure for 34 towns and villages across the country, ending the discharge of raw sewage into the environment. In addition to the 34 completed sites, we currently have 7 locations under construction across the country. This means 41 out of 50 locations either have brand new infrastructure in place or currently have projects under construction. There are plans for the rest, prioritising the areas where it can make the biggest impacts first.
2 projects have been completed in Mayo (Belmullet and Killala). Newport remains to be done.
Proposal for Newport
Newport currently has 2 historic septic tanks which do not provide effective treatment for the wastewater generated in the town. UÉ plans to decommission these septic tanks and build a new wastewater treatment plant and a marine outfall for treated wastewater. This will ensure that Newport complies with the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive while at the same time allowing the economic growth of the town.
Current status of Newport Project
The Newport WWTP is currently at Preliminary Business Case (currently Stage 2) where we will develop a short list of solutions, identify the preferred option and calculate an estimated cost.
As we work through this stage, it should be understood that the planning and consenting process which must be followed to allow us to build this plant has become more complex since UÉ was established. A significant amount of data gathering, surveys and assessments are required to support the various consenting processes. Detailed assessments of existing outfalls, and marine modelling of receiving waters are also now needed to meet planning requirements for projects such as Newport.
