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27 April 2018 Go back to News
Significant investment to upgrade Castleblayney Wastewater Treatment Plant
Necessary upgrade will aid future development and provide for a growing population
Irish Water and Cathaoirleach of Monaghan County Council, Cllr Cathy Bennett, officially turned the sod today for the upgrade works to the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Castleblayney.
Working in partnership with Monaghan County Council, Irish Water is investing €6 million to upgrade the existing wastewater treatment plant to ensure capacity for future economic and population growth in the area. When completed the newly upgraded plant will also be fully compliant with the EU Urban Wastewater Directives and ensure the continued protection of Lough Muckno.
What does the upgrade involve?
The upgrade includes a new sewer between Muckno Pumping Station and the treatment plant, the decommissioning of the Muckno Pumping Station, construction of a new access road as well as other works.
Paul Fallon, Irish Water’s Infrastructure Programme Manager added “This investment by Irish Water in the Castleblayney Wastewater Treatment Plant will have huge benefits for the area especially in terms of future population and economic development. The existing wastewater treatment plant was constructed in the early eighties and the mechanical and electrical equipment has exceeded its operational life and is in need of upgrade.
This investment of €6 million by Irish Water will ensure the town and surrounding areas have the capacity to grow and develop to address the needs of the local businesses and residents.
Planned works include the replacement of the existing inlet works and associated equipment; provision of new sludge handling facilities; upgrade of the existing aeration tank and associated equipment; and the provision of a telemetry system to communicate signals between all pumping stations within the collection network and the main SCADA system at the wastewater treatment plant.”
Cllr Benentt commented “This is a red letter day for Castleblayney. This investment of €6 million by Irish Water will ensure the town and surrounding areas have the capacity to grow and develop to address the needs of the local businesses and residents.”
Completion date set for early 2019
Works have commenced on site. EPS Group have been awarded the contract on behalf of Irish Water and the project is expected to take approximately 12 months to complete with a completion date set for early 2019.
Also at today’s sod turning was Patricia Monahan, Director of Services at Monaghan County Council, who welcomed the investment saying “Monaghan County Council are delighted to be working with Irish Water and EPS Group to deliver this much-needed upgrade to the Castleblayney Wastewater Treatment Plant.”
Irish Water’s Business Plan
Irish Water spent over €526 million on water services in 2017. Capital investment in the region of €700 million per year is needed for a sustained period of several decades to address the poor condition of Ireland’s water infrastructure. Works have been prioritised to address the most critical issues in line with commitments outlined in Irish Water’s Business Plan up to 2021. Delivery of the business plan will involve a €5.5bn investment in capital spending on drinking water and wastewater quality and capacity and new infrastructure up to 2021 while achieving efficiencies of €1.6bn.
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