Tipperary waste water treatment plant to have its sludge removal increased by one third

Uisce Éireann is going to have to increase the number of times it cleans sludge from the waste water treatment plant at Ballycommon, Nenagh, due to the plant being inefficient and discharging effluent into the Nenagh River.

“Uisce Éireann is committed to continuously maintaining, upgrading and developing critical water and waste water infrastructure to support the growth needed in housing and across our economy, while protecting the environment and safeguarding water supplies,” Cllr Seamus Morris has been told by the water utility.

They pointed out that the Ballycommon WWTP was a privately developed plant which was taken in charge by Uisce Éireann in 2021.

“Since then we have carried out regular maintenance works at the plant to improve its performance,” Uisce Éereann said. “This includes regular desludging and removal of material from site to prevent overflows to the river.”

They said that they had also committed to carry out further upgrades at the plant and had engaged with the original suppliers of the system with a view to optimising its performance.

Further site visits and inspections were currently being scheduled to confirm the scope of the works, they said.

The utility revealed that, currently, two 30 square metre tankers of effluent / sludge was being tankered away from the site weekly.

“This is going to be increased to three tankers per week for a trial period,” they said.

“Uisce Éireann are currently in the process of engaging the Proprietary Treatment Manufacturers to come to the site and assess the operation of the WWTP with a view to optimising the treatment process,” the company told Cllr Morris.

The Independent councillor had raised the issue with Uisce Éireann in February and was told the waste water treatment plant was not working to discharge standards and was discharging poor quality effluent to the Nenagh River.

He was further told that Uisce Éireann had reviewed the design capacity of the plant and the existing plant had design capacity for 10-20, additional houses if it achieved better discharge standards.

Problems with the plant were first brought to their attention in 2022 when Inland Fisheries made a complaint to them, he was told.

An inspection of the plant concluded that the load on the Ballycommon wastewater treatment plant did not exceed the design capacity, but the works required additional works in relation to flow management at the plant and capital maintenance upgrades to improve the performance of the works and the effluent quality discharged before any additional flows can be accepted.

Cllr Morris said that he will be working with Tipperary County Council planners and Uisce Éireann to get a timeframe for the upgrade so that the developments that were being held up can get the go ahead( planning was given in 2022).

“After all, Tipperary County Council handed over a defective waste water treatment plant to Uisce Éireann and it should be up to them to negotiate a pathway to free up the houses that are being held up by this mess not to mind the fact that it is also an environmental disaster,” said Cllr Morris.