Savings identified for major Ringsend wastewater project

IRISH Water has launched an eight-week public consultation on issues to be considered in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and a Natura Impact Statement (NIS) for the Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade Project. 

These two documents will form part of a planning application to An Bord Pleanála, which Irish Water expects to submit towards the end of 2016. 

In 2012, An Bord Pleanála granted permission to Dublin City Council to upgrade Ireland’s largest wastewater treatment plant and increase its capacity, based on technologies available at the time. The approved project included the construction of a 9km long sea outfall tunnel to relocate the discharge of treated effluent from the Ringsend plant into Dublin Bay. 

Since being established, Irish Water has identified an advanced, nutrient-reduction treatment technology known as Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS), which would allow the discharge of treated wastewater to remain at its current location. This would remove the need to build the tunnel and therefore deliver significant savings on the project, estimated to be in the region of €170 million. 

This technology is already in use in two Irish Water wastewater treatment plants in Clonakilty and Carrigtwohill where the company says significant cost savings are also being achieved. 

The new planning application to be submitted in 2016 will seek permission to upgrade the Ringsend plant through the use of this alternative technology. Irish Water is currently scoping the content of the two studies and invites interested parties to make submissions on what should be included in these documents. A scoping document has been published on the project webpage (www.water.ie/ringsend), which also explains how submissions can be made during the eight-week consultation period.

Submissions received on or before Tuesday, May 17, will be considered as part of the scoping process.