Ramelton, Milford and Rathmullan Sewerage Scheme

Uisce Éireann, in partnership with Donegal County Council is upgrading the Sewerage Scheme Network in the Rathmullan, Milford and Ramelton Sewerage Schemes.

Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Donegal County Council, has commenced works to upgrade the Ramelton, Milford and Rathmullan Sewerage Schemes. This proposed sewerage scheme will end the unacceptable practice of discharging raw sewage into Leannan Estuary, Lough Swilly and Maggy’s Burn.

At present the towns of Ramelton, Rathmullan have no wastewater treatment while Milford has substandard Wastewater treatment and are discharging untreated or partially treated wastewater into the environment at these three separate locations. The practice of discharging untreated wastewater is unacceptable and Uisce Éireann intends to rectify this problem. This project will ensure that there is an adequate treatment of wastewater, for now and into the future, as well as protecting human health and safeguarding the environment.

Benefits

• Improved water quality in Leannan Estuary and Lough Swilly. This will remove the risk to the protected areas within Lough Swilly, including the Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Area (SPA), shellfish waters and designated bathing waters, including Rathmullan Beach.
• Removal of the discharge of inadequately treated sewage into Maggie’s Burn will improve the water quality. It will also remove the risk to water quality in the downstream catchment of Lough Fern and the Leannan Estuary.
• Cleaner water will enhance the areas amenity value, particularly in Rathmullan which will contribute towards restoring the Blue Flag status of Rathmullan Beach.
• This project will improve water quality and potentially salmon spawning in Maggie’s Burn which is a designated Salmonid Water.
• The new pumping stations and wastewater treatment plant have all been designed to accommodate an increase in the local population supporting future growth in each of the three towns.
• The project will ensure that the water quality standards set down by regulatory bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency will be achieved

What is involved?

• Construction of a wastewater treatment plant that will serve a population equivalent of approximately 5,500.
• Decommissioning of the current underperforming plant in Milford, construction of a new pumping station at Milford and rising main to bring wastewater to the new plant.
• Construction of two pumping stations at Ramelton and Rathmullan along with a rising mains that will transfer wastewater to the new plant.
• Construction of a local pumping station in Rathmullan to transfer network flows to the new main pumping station in Rathmullan.
• Construction of a new outfall pipe from the new wastewater treatment plant that will safely discharge treated wastewater into Swilly Estuary.
• Decommissioning of two septic tanks in Rathmullan.

The Ramelton, Milford and Rathmullan Sewerage Scheme is carried out by Murphy Group on behalf of Uisce Éireann.

More information

For further information you can contact the Project Team at RMRwastewater@water.ie.