Irish Water and Clare County Council have confirmed that the swimming prohibition notice in Kilkee beach has been lifted following the completion of repair and upgrade work at the town’s wastewater pumping station.
The Do Not Swim notice was issued in December as a precautionary measure following the failure of an operational safety device at the pumping station during a period of heavy rainfall shortly before Christmas.
Following this incident, Irish Water immediately appointed a project team to identify the necessary repair and upgrade work. They subsequently commissioned the manufacture and installation of a new surge protection system to replace the one which failed in December. New pipework was also put in place to replace some aging pipes in the pumping station.
In addition to this, a specialist electrical contractor was appointed to review all electrical issues at the plant and a number of measures were put in place to allow for improved management at times where a large volume of storm water is entering the system.
Work to install the new equipment at the pumping station got underway in March and was completed in the past week. Full details of the work that was carried out was provided to Clare County Council and the HSE, enabling them to lift the swim prohibition notice.
Maurice Hourigan, wastewater lead with Irish Water, said: “Since this incident occurred at the end of December, resolving it was a top priority project for Irish Water. We are pleased to confirm that the work is now completed on schedule and the Do Not Swim notice has been lifted, ahead of the start of the 2017 bathing season.
“We would like apologise for any inconvenience that this incident has caused to the users of Kilkee beach and to businesses in the area and thank them for their patience while this work was taking place. We would also like to thank Clare County Council, the HSE and all the other stakeholders involved for their support in resolving this issue.”