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Uisce Éireann welcomes granting of foreshore licence to progress the Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant Project

Uisce Éireann welcomes the granting of the foreshore licence from the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government for the marine site investigation works to progress the development of a new Wastewater Treatment Plant for Arklow.

The marine site investigation works include archaeological surveys, ecological surveys and geotechnical surveys and will be carried out in Arklow Bay and the estuary of the Avoca River. The works will enable the team to progress with the preliminary design of the proposed marine outfall pipe in the bay and the intake pipe crossing the Avoca River.

Uisce Éireann is working in partnership with Wicklow County Council to deliver the Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant project. This represents an investment of over €30 million by Uisce Éireann and will bring benefits to over 15,000 residents in Arklow, its tourist industry and the environment in terms of health and improved water quality for all. Uisce Éireann is currently progressing the architectural and landscape design of the site and will ensure that the design is visually appealing and in-keeping with the requirements of the local community and surrounding landscape. The preliminary designs for the proposed new wastewater treatment plant will be shared with the community in advance of the planning application to ensure that local feedback is incorporated into the plans.

Currently, untreated wastewater is discharged into the Avoca River which flows through Arklow Town. Uisce Éireann is working to address this unacceptable situation by progressing the Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant Project

The proposed project will include:

  • A new Wastewater Treatment Plant to treat wastewater for a population equivalent of 36,000
  • Interceptor sewer pipelines along the North and South quays to bring untreated wastewater to the wastewater treatment plant
  • A marine outfall pipe to safely discharge treated effluent to the Irish Sea.

Commenting on the project Michael Tinsley, Infrastructure Portfolio Delivery Manager at Uisce Éireann, said “We are pleased to progress the marine surveys, which will provide us with the necessary information to design the new marine outfall pipeline for the proposed Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant. This project is vital to address the discharging of untreated wastewater into the River Avoca. We will continue to update the local community on the project as it progresses”.

Further information, please visit our Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant page.