Raw sewage will still be released in Donegal in 2027, EPA report says

A lack of treatment plants means raw sewage will be released in Donegal until at least 2027,  the latest report from the Environmental Protection Agency shows.

Eight towns and villages in Donegal are releasing untreated sewage because they do not have treatment plants, the report,  Water Treatment in 2020 Urban Waste Water Treatment in 2020, shows.

Moville is one of two of 34 locations nationally without treatment plants that are likely to continue discharging untreated sewage until 2027, the report says.

The town is also one of the 12 towns and cities in the State where treatment did not meet the standards in the European Union’s urban wastewater treatment directive in 2020.

Of the other seven towns and villages in Donegal that have no treatment plant, Burtonport, Kerrykeel and Kilcar are to have treatment in 2023 while Coolatee, Falcarragh, Ramelton and Rathmullan are to have it by 2025.

Irish Water said it is progressing plans for a new wastewater treatment plant at Moville in partnership with Donegal County Council. 

Plans to build a sewage treatment plant for Moville and Greencastle at Carnagrave close to the shores of Lough Foyle have met opposition from locals since the 1980s over the discharge of waste into the Foyle. Campaigners won a landmark EU legal challenge to the proposed plant in 2016. They have maintained the plant should be built outside the estuary.

The report says “repeated changes in plans and delays in bringing projects to construction are prolonging risks to the environment and people’s health”. Irish Water must provide the infrastructure needed at each of these 34 areas without any further delays, the EPA said. 

Wastewater harm

Ballintra, Bridgend, Burnfoot,  Kilmacrennan and Milford, are some of the  42 areas where improvements are needed to prevent wastewater from harming rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters. The EPA says Irish Water has no clear action plan or time frame to improve treatment at over two-thirds of the 42 areas.

Lough Swilly, McSwynes Bay and Sheephaven are among the 25 designated shellfish waters where the EPA says Irish Water must complete overdue assessments of the impacts of wastewater discharges.

The EPA said the report shows the pace at which essential improvements in wastewater treatment are being delivered is too slow. While  Irish Water is making progress in resolving environmental issues and the number of priority areas has reduced from 148 to 97 over the past four years, there is still a long way to go to bring all deficient treatment systems up to standard, the EPA said.

Commenting on the report, Dr Tom Ryan, director of the EPA’s office of environmental enforcement said: “It is unacceptable that 15 years after the final deadline to comply, half of Ireland’s urban wastewater is still not treated to the basic EU standards.  There are repeated delays in providing proper treatment at many areas, and this continues to put our environment and people’s health at risk.  

“It is clear that Ireland will still need substantial investment over many years to bring our public wastewater treatment plants and public sewers up to standard.  Irish Water must deliver the essential infrastructure in as timely a manner as possible and resolve the underlying causes for the delays in upgrading treatment systems.”

‘Improvements’

Responding to the report, Irish Water said the report shows the progress being made, while also highlighting the need for continued investment in our essential wastewater services.

It said investment in wastewater infrastructure in Bundoran, Convoy, Glencolmcille, Killybegs and Ballybofey and Stranorlar has led to improvements in water quality, while also supporting housing and economic development in these areas.

The utility said Donegal has had one of the highest levels of investment of any county in Ireland, receiving almost €300 million on water and wastewater upgrades since 2014. 

Anthony Skeffington, regional operations manager of Irish Water, said: “There is no doubt that challenges remain. Much of the infrastructure for safely collecting and treating wastewater around the country has suffered from decades of under-investment. But Irish Water has a plan in place to address these deficiencies and we are making real progress. Continued investment will be required in the coming years to build a modern, fit-for-purpose wastewater network but we are confident that we are on track to achieving that aim.”

READ MORE: New report reveals 'unacceptable' levels of raw sewage released into environment