‘We are committed to delivering for Tipp’

Uisce Éireann has reassured its commitment to upgrading wastewater treatment plants but said those in the Nenagh district will have to wait to be dealt with in order of priority.

Amid growing criticism over the delay in providing capacity that would enable much-needed housing development to get underway, representatives of the utility this month said private contractors may be called on to deliver upgrades in local towns and villages.

Having successfully completed treatment plant upgrades in Ballina and Newport, Uisce Éireann is now turning its attention to Nenagh. Tipperary Co Council granted planning permission for the long-waited upgrade of Nenagh’s treatment plant last July.

Programme Manager Angus Hall told the Guardian this month that Uisce Éireann would commence construction work early in the new year. The €49 million project will upgrade the existing plant from its current design population equivalent (PE) of 12,000 to a PE plant of 22,000, paving the way for hundreds of planned new homes as well as unlocking future business potential.

“This will be a huge project that will have a really big impact and help the community to grow there and protect the environment,” Mr Hall said of the Nenagh upgrade project. He anticipated that the new plant would be fully operational by 2029.

“We find that once the project gets to construction, that’s the hardest bit done. The contractors that we use are really good at delivering wastewater infrastructure, so you could have a long overall project duration but once it hits the ground, it tends to be delivered in that two-three-year timeframe.”

‘BIG CHALLENGE’

That still seems like a long way off and Uisce Éireann is very much aware that upgrading Nenagh is only one aspect of a treatment plant programme that will have to be extended to other parts of the district in the coming years. Smaller towns and villages like Ballycommon, Cloughjordan, Portroe and Silvermines also have capacity issues that need to be tackled in order to free up housing development.

“They’re at an early stage - there’s no real commitment to investment for those,” Mr Hall replied when asked about the timeline for upgrading treatment plants in the smaller settlements of the Nenagh district. As is the case with upgrade works across the country, Tipperary’s larger urban centres are getting first priority.

“We have to prioritise investment and focus on areas where we can deliver capacity and protect the environment for Tipperary,” Mr Hall said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of smaller towns and villages around the country and we do have a programme to deliver for those communities as well.”

Uisce Éireann’s availability of funding is just one of a number of issues accounting for the delay. “There’s a huge amount of hurdles we have to jump in terms of statutory consents and working with our supply chain, and prioritising that investment to make sure it’s spent in the right areas first,” Mr Hall said. “It’s a big challenge.”

DEMAND FOR HOUSING

Communications Manager Karen Ferris made the point that Uisce Éireann is dealing with decades of under-investment in wastewater infrastructure at a time when Ireland’s population is booming.

“We do acknowledge the challenges with development and capacity but we’re looking to prioritise our investment as we go,” Ms Ferris said. “The key drivers would be the environment and the progress we’ve made in terms of the discharge of raw sewage to our lakes and rivers and seas – Uisce Éireann has made a huge amount of progress in that area.

“We’re recognising capacity and the need to ensure that development matches the demand for housing as a key driver - and Nenagh is obviously a good example of that. But I think it’s important to put in context the scale… we’ve 1,000 treatment plants around the country nationally, 2,200 pumping stations and 26,000km of network. So, when you look at how are we going to bring all that up to standard, we have to prioritise where we can have most impact initially.”

This, Ms Ferris clarified, does not mean there are no plans in place for Tipperary’s smaller towns and villages. She mentioned early stage planning for upgrading the treatment plants in Cloughjordan and Dromineer.

“It will be soon when we have a timeline to talk about those projects,” Mr Hall commented on the matter. “It’s a case of making sure we’ve got the right investment planned and we’re not giving the wrong impression about delivery of a project.”

BALLYCOMMON PLANT

Asked specifically about the much-maligned treatment plant in Ballycommon - where sewage from the village is still being transported away to another treatment plant on a daily basis, while concerns over pollution of the Nenagh River are well-documented - Mr Hall said the plant is currently being assessed as part of the infrastructure plan for this district. “We’re definitely looking at it,” he responded, adding that he has “a huge affinity for protecting the environment” and takes environmental issues seriously.

“We’ve got a department – asset management – that’s looking at those projects that are at an early stage. We’re looking at the network as a whole and how we can improve the wastewater infrastructure.”

Something that could speed up the delivery of greater capacity for the villages is the recent Government decision to allow private developers build or upgrade treatment plants. Ms Ferris agreed that this move could be put to good use in Tipperary, so long as the works are carried out to Uisce Éireann’s required standards.

“We’re talking to Government about the details of that but we do welcome that announcement,” she said. “What is really important for us is ensuring the standards are put in place for any infrastructure provided under that scheme.”

‘COME AND TALK TO US’

In the meantime, Uisce Éireann is looking forward to progressing Nenagh’s new treatment plant as its latest major project for north Tipperary. Ms Ferris was aware of the number of plans for new houses – including council houses – that are on hold pending completion of that project. But her message was for developers to engage with the utility in the interim.

“We encourage anyone to come and talk to us,” she said. “Our connection services team would encourage any developer to come and talk to us directly if they are looking to connect into Nenagh. That is the route to have those conversations with developers about future plans and aligning the timelines. We work with people then in terms of their proposals for connection.”

Uisce Éireann has invested over €130 million in wastewater infrastructure alone in Tipperary in the last 10 years. The recent completion of upgrades to the treatment plants in Ballina and Newport are testament to the progress being made. Mr Hall said he was particularly pleased with the Ballina project, where a new energy efficiency technology is being trialled and where great lengths have been gone to in protecting the Shannon from pollution previously associated with the plant.

“We are committed to delivering for Tipperary and that is demonstrated in the projects we’ve completed to date,” Mr Hall said as he looked forward to future progress in Nenagh.