EPA report details delays to Dunleer treatment plant upgrade which resulted in Uisce Eireann fine

A recently released report by the EPA (Environmental protection Agency) has detailed how Uisce Eireann (formerly Irish Water) was fined for delays in taking action to prevent pollution Waste water from Dunleer discharging to a section of the White River.

In February of this year Uisce Eireann pleaded guilty to breaches of conditions of its Waste Water Discharge Licence and was fined €1,000 after the EPA prosecuted Uisce Éireann at Dublin Metropolitan District Court.

In 2023 the EPA prosecuted Uisce Éireann for failing to treat waste water properly at five of the priority areas that are significant pressures on surface waters.

In its Urban and Waste Water Treatment report for 2022 published last week, the EPA uses the Dunleer case as a case study example of failing to treat Waste Water properly.

The report states that the section of the river in question is in an unsatisfactory condition and waste water from Dunleer has been identified as the main pollution pressure on the river. 

In 2015 the EPA issued a waste water discharge licence for Dunleer which required Uisce Éireann to upgrade the treatment plant by the end of 2019 to protect the river and help restore it to good status. 

The report explains that:

“Since 2017 the EPA has been highlighting Dunleer as one of the national priority areas where Uisce Éireann must direct resources to improve treatment and prevent pollution. 

“Uisce Éireann repeatedly failed to provide a clear action plan and time frame to deliver the necessary improvements, despite numerous requests from the EPA.

“In response to the unacceptably slow progress at providing treatment needed to prevent pollution, the EPA initiated a district court prosecution against Uisce Éireann in 2021 for discharging inadequately treated waste water and failing to upgrade the plant. The case concluded in early 2023 when Uisce Éireann was convicted and fined.”

According to the report the plant has still not been upgraded and it persistently discharges waste water that fails to meet the treatment standards set by the EPA. 

In 2022 the average concentration of orthophosphate in effluent discharged from the plant was over 10 times the limit set by the EPA. Elevated concentrations of orthophosphate can pollute rivers and cause excessive and unwanted growth of algae and aquatic plants.

The case study concludes by noting that:

“In June 2023 Uisce Éireann was still in the initial stage of developing options to improve treatment and advised the likely start date for the upgrade work is 2030, which is 13 years after Dunleer was first identified as a priority area.

“This example illustrates the need for Uisce Éireann to have a much greater focus and urgency in delivering improvements needed to prevent pollution at priority areas.”

Asked to comment on any future proposed works, Uisce Eireann said: 

“Dunleer Wastewater Treatment Plant was added to the Phosphorus Removal Programme and a site assessment report carried out in 2023.

“Uisce Eireann will be commencing construction works shortly with a projected completion date before the end of 2024.”