Irish Water has completed a major upgrade of the Quin Wastewater Treatment Plant which will protect the local environment and support growth and development in the area.
This project, carried out in partnership with Clare County Council, brings big benefits to the local community by ensuring that there is adequate treatment of wastewater, for now and into the future, as well as protecting public health and safeguarding the environment.
The existing plant was overloaded and as a result was not compliant with EU Urban Wastewater Directives. This project has brought improvements to the treatment efficiency of the plant and it will also improve the quality of water discharged to the River Rine, a tributary of the Shannon.
Irish Water has invested €4.2 million to carry out this upgrade, which will also increase the capacity of the plant. The existing wastewater treatment plant was originally constructed to cater for a population equivalent (PE) of 740. This upgrade has significantly increased the capacity of the plant, enabling it to serve a population equivalent (PE) of 1350.
Project Spokesperson Esther White said: “We are very pleased to announce the successful completion of this project which brings many benefits to Quin from an environmental as well as a social and economic point of view. Not only will it help to safeguard local waterways and the wider environment, it will also accommodate housing and other developments in the Quin area.
“The completion of this project on time and on budget reflects Irish Water’s commitment – and that of our delivery partners, Clare County Council and EPS – to the efficient delivery of critical infrastructure in order to support local communities.
“We would like to thank the local residents and businesses for their support and co-operation as we carried out this work.”
The project involved the construction of a new pumping station at Quin on the same site as the existing Wastewater treatment plant; the installation of new settlement tanks and Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC) tanks; new inlet works as well as site landscaping, lighting and security works.
Irish Water is on track to deliver a programme of unprecedented scale to stop the discharge of untreated or inadequately treated wastewater into our seas and rivers. Since 2014, Irish Water has eliminated approximately 50% of untreated and inadequately treated wastewater that was being discharged to our rivers and the sea, with the completion of new wastewater treatment plants in 16 towns across the country.
In Clare, new public sewerage schemes are currently planned for five locations where there is untreated wastewater being discharged; Liscannor, Kilrush, Kilkee, Ballyvaughan, and Clarecastle. Upgrades of wastewater treatment plants are also being progressed in Doonbeg and Ballycannon (Meelick).