Irish Water has been granted planning permission to build an Integrated Constructed Wetland (ICW) to treat wastewater from the village of Saleen, Co. Cork.
The water company said the project will support the continued growth and development of the community while also enhancing the local environment and improving water quality.
An ICW is a type of sustainable wastewater treatment system which is designed to look and function like natural wetland. Constructed wetlands are created for the purpose of treating wastewater in an environmentally-friendly way before allowing it to return to the water system safely.
Wetlands also provide a natural habitat for a wide range of plants and animals.
ICW systems have many advantages for small rural communities - as well as protecting local waterways by ensuring that sewage is treated and discharged in compliance with the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, they also provide a natural habitat for a wide range of plants and animals, and help to encourage biodiversity.
The system in Saleen will be designed for a population equivalent of 1,000 people which will have the capacity to treat the wastewater from the community now and into the future, allowing for population growth and development in the area.
Mark O’Callaghan, Sustainability Policy and Innovations Lead said Irish Water would now move forward with the essential project with the aim of providing effective treatment for the wastewater from Saleen as quickly as possible.
Following the granting of planning permission, the detailed design phase will now begin. The utility will procure a contractor to build the project with construction expected to get underway in 2019.
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