Ireland faces EU fine over waste water plants

LESS than half the essential works required on five waste water sites have been completed in the two years since the European Court brought legal action against the state, environment officials have confirmed. The government is due before the European Court in less than two weeks to answer charges that the treatment plants are below acceptable quality levels.

The European Commission brought the action in July 2006, claiming that Ireland failed to "ensure that, before discharge, waste water entering collecting systems was made subject to secondary treatment or an equivalent treatment at the latest by 31 December, 2000."

It further claims that Ireland has failed to ensure such discharges satisfied European quality requirements.

The action has been taken in specific reference to five treatment plants in Bray, Co Wicklow, Howth, Co Dublin, Letterkenny, Co Donegal, Sligo and Tramore, Co Waterford.

However, despite being eight years overdue, the government has admitted that work on the plants remains unfinished.

While the Sligo and Tramore sites have since been completed, construction work continues in Howth, a contract has only been awarded for the Bray/Shanganagh project while the Letterkenny plant works have not yet gone to tender. A spokesman for the Department of the Environment told the Sunday Tribune that funding for the required infrastructure has been allocated in all cases. "Any delays that have occurred in completing individual works have generally been caused by legal or technical difficulties," he said.

"This case relates to the provision of waste water treatment facilities in five specific locations. It would be inappropriate for us to speculate on the outcome of the court proceedings but we have entered a detailed and robust defence."

The European Commission is determined that Ireland be found guilty of failing in its obligations and to pay the costs of the action. The commission noted in a legal document to the court: "Although Ireland has offered explanations as to the delays encountered in these agglomerations and has provided some indications of the state of progress in meeting the directive's requirements, it is the commission's view that these explanations and indications cannot be considered as excusing a failure to meet the deadline.

"Moreover, the commission submits that the information provided by the Irish authorities is insufficient to allow it to conclude that the installation of secondary waste water treatment plants in these agglomerations is imminent. In most cases, it appears that several further stages need to be completed before the treatment plants will be installed."

Sunday Tribune

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Ballymore Eustace refurbishment

This is pretty topical after Galway's problems ...

Ballymore is the largest Water Treatment Plant in Ireland and, over the next 5 years, will enhance its status as a state-of-the-art facility, developed to its full potential in serving Dublin City's water consumers.

This plant serves the water needs of approximately 1/3 of the population of Ireland. The contract duration will be for 4.5 years, with a total value of €70m. The Contractors appointed were ASCON Ltd for the Civil Contract and Earthtech Ltd for the Mechanical/Electrical contract.

The Ballymore Eustace Plant is on the shore of Poulaphuca Reservoir and supplies over 250 Ml/d of treated water to Dublin City. It was conceived in 1936 as a 166 million m3 reservoir in a catchment of 312km2 - with the dual purposes of water supply and hydro-electric power generation.

The current development - Stage 3 - which has been underway since 2000, now incorporates Stage 4 and is, by far, the largest to-date, with an expected cost of €70.0m. Initially a Design Build Operate and Finance Pilot, it was re-launched in 2004 as a 'traditional' procurement project. The scope includes:

* A complete refurbishment of the existing Plant to bring it into line with current technical, environmental and safety standards;
* New filtration, sedimentation, chemical, waste water and sludge facilities;
* A 2.4 MW new power system - complete with on-site power generation,
* On-site Electrolytic Chlorination disinfection, in place of less safe chlorine gas;
* A 36 station distributed control system, based on optical communications;
* A 54 Ml underground storage reservoir and outlet control system for treated water supply.

The fully-automated plant will also include modern staff, maintenance and training facilities in line with Dublin City Council's Partnership Forum objectives, an accredited water and environmental laboratory and a contemporary visitor and conference centre.

RPS completed designs and tender documents on the basis of two contracts (IEI Civil and MF1 Mechanical). Tenders were received and contracts were signed on the 29th of January with construction already underway. The construction programme is set for 4.5 years, primarily to accommodate the complex nature of the Works.