Irish wastewater plants falling short of EU standards

More than half of Ireland’s wastewater treatment plants fail to meet EU quality standards, a recent report concluded.

Published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the document revealed that 51 per cent of the country’s plants are being overloaded or not operating properly.

The report revealed that at the end of 2007, wastewater was being discharged at 112 locations across Ireland with little or no treatment.

EPA programme manager Gerard O’Leary commented: "Continued investment in waste water treatment is required as well as a dramatic improvement by local authorities in the operation and monitoring of existing wastewater treatment infrastructure."

It was found that in most cases, wastewater was being discharged into coastal waters.

In related news, the EPA revealed that between January and September 2008 it received and assessed 283 notifications of failure to meet drinking water standards across Ireland.