Irish Water has reached another milestone on the road to ending the discharge of raw sewage in County Cork with the completion of its Castletownbere Sewerage Scheme.

Since 2014, Irish Water has ended the discharge of over 60% of all untreated sewage in Ireland, with the completion of new wastewater treatment plants and network infrastructure in 21 towns across the country. The water company is prioritising areas where the biggest impacts can be made first, with an investment of over €750 million dedicated nationally to ending the unacceptable practice.

Irish Water said it is now on track to eliminate the vast majority of raw sewage discharges by the end of 2025, ensuring wastewater is adequately treated and meets appropriate standards before being safely discharged into the marine environment.

In Cork, Irish Water has just completed the Castletownbere Sewerage Scheme and is progressing with four further wastewater projects across the county, providing new wastewater infrastructure for a population equivalent of over 6,500.

The Castletownbere works began in early 2021 and sought to end the discharge of raw sewage into Bantry Bay. The works finished ahead of schedule providing wastewater treatment for a population equivalent of over 2,100 people.

Speaking about the progress Irish Water is making on ending the discharge of raw sewage in Cork, Anthony Kavanagh of Irish Water said,

“Communities in Cork continue to benefit from Irish Water’s progress in improving wastewater treatment, resulting in a cleaner environment, enhanced water quality and greater capacity to support growth and development. One of five such recent projects is now complete in Castletownbere – ending the equivalent of over 1,700 wheelie bins of raw sewage being discharged into Bantry Bay per day."

“We are also progressing with major wastewater projects in Inchigeelagh, Whitegate-Aghada, Castletownshend and Ballycotton. These projects involve a multi-million investment in critical infrastructure for Co. Cork. When completed, all projects will improve water quality in respective receiving waters, safeguard the environment, enhance tourism and sport for the likes of swimming and surfing, and support the future development of local communities."

“In 2021, Irish Water invested €367 million 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 first-rate wastewater services and infrastructure for Ireland now and in the future."

“Developing new infrastructure in well-established towns and villages is a challenge in terms of acquiring the land needed to build the new plants as well as progressing the projects through the planning process.”

Irish Water has been working with contractor Glan Agua in Cork through its Early Contractor Involvement framework, a delivery mechanism for various water and wastewater projects nationally and encourages early engagement and collaboration. The framework allows contractors to come on board much earlier in the delivery process, resulting in greater scope for collaboration, innovation in design and construction, and improved efficiencies and timelines.