Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 April 2004
9 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress being made in implementing the waste water directive in light of delays in bringing into operation waste water secondary treatment plants to serve Balbriggan, Skerries, Loughshinny, Rush, Lusk, Donabate and Portrane in Fingal, County Dublin. [12295/04]
View answerExcellent progress is being made nationally in the provision of waste water treatment facilities to meet the requirements of the EU urban waste water treatment directive. Since 2000, waste water collection and treatment systems have been completed under my Department's water services investment programme in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway and in the major towns of Dundalk, Drogheda, Wexford, Midleton, Westport and Courtown-Riverchapel.
The recently completed Ringsend wastewater treatment plant in Dublin deals with the waste water treatment requirements of all Dublin city and south Dublin, significant areas of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and Fingal, and parts of County Meath. It will produce the single biggest ever improvement in the quality of Irish coastal waters and will restore bathing water standards throughout Dublin Bay.
Other major schemes under construction, or due to start this year, include those at Cork Lower Harbour, Dungarvan, Tramore, Waterford, Sligo and Shanganagh. Schemes for Bundoran and New Ross are expected to commence in 2005, together with the Arklow main drainage scheme, subject to the outcome of legal proceedings relating to the location of the treatment plant in the latter case. Completion of these schemes will provide secondary treatment of waste water discharges from all agglomerations down to a population equivalent of 10,000 as required by the urban wastewater treatment directive.
The Balbriggan-Skerries sewerage scheme, which will also serve Loughshinny, is also due to commence this year. Fingal County Council's tender report on this scheme is under examination in my Department and will be dealt with as quickly as possible.
It was originally envisaged that two separate sewage treatment plants would be constructed to serve the areas of Rush-Lusk and Portrane-Donabate. Fingal County Council now proposes to construct a single waste water treatment plant in Portrane to serve the four towns, which will obviate the need for a second treatment works and sea out-fall in the Rush-Lusk area. The preliminary report for the Portrane-Donabate element of the scheme, but not as yet for Rush-Lusk, has been submitted to my Department but once they get the remaining paperwork, they will complete the tender works.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House.
My Department will deal as quickly as possible with the overall proposal, which is approved for construction under the water services investment programme.
The urban waste water treatment directive requires specific waste water treatment and-or collection facilities to be in place by 31 December 2005 for discharges from a graduated range of agglomeration thresholds. The current water services investment programme, which covers the years 2003 to 2005, incorporates all the remaining waste water schemes needed for full compliance with the directive. At the beginning of the current national development plan, compliance with the year 2005 requirements of the directive stood at 25%. This had risen to 84% by the end of 2003. Overall, I am satisfied with the rate of progress being achieved in the waste water treatment area in response to our obligations under the directive.
When the Minister talks about the Department considering the Balbriggan, Skerries and Loughshinny scheme, what is the turnaround time for his Department issuing to Fingal County Council the all-clear and the signal to proceed further? Is it being treated as a matter of urgency in light of the large number of complaints against Ireland in the EU? Ireland has the fourth-largest number according to one table after Spain, Germany and Italy.
Is it possible to say that, on planning grounds, the applications coming in thick and fast for Balbriggan, where a tripling of the current population is envisaged over a very short time, would be turned down on the basis of sewage treatment capacity not being in place? Is that a valid reason to turn down an application? Does the Minister not agree that it should be seen as a factor in a planning application if sewage treatment is not in place to withstand the burden on the system? What completion time does he envisage for the treatment plants serving the towns of Balbriggan, Skerries, Loughshinny, Rush, Lusk, Donabate and Portrane?
I understand it is being treated as a matter of urgency. There was a change of plan by Fingal County Council and as I said in the reply, there will now be only one plant. The scheme is being constructed through a public private partnership arrangement using the "design, build and operate" method and will provide wastewater treatment facilities for an initial population equivalent of 30,000, with scope for future expansion to cater for a population of up to 100,000 if it so develops. It is being treated as a matter of urgency. The Department's examination of the tender work will be completed as soon as possible and work should get under way this year and be substantially if not totally complete by the end of 2005. Such things are not built overnight.
Historically, we have not been great, but it is important to say that, at the beginning of the current national development plan period in 2000, our compliance rate with the urban wastewater treatment directive stood at 25%. That rose to 84% at the end of last year. We were coming from a low base, but enormous progress has been made in the last few years. With the completion of other planned works we will be substantially in compliance with the directives.
I take it the Government will still need to add to that population capacity. If the Minister is saying it will cater for 30,000 in Balbriggan and Skerries, and the population of Skerries itself is expected to grow to perhaps 35,000, does he accept he must instruct the council not simply to build a plant that is too small but to put in place one that will allow for the capacity increase? What policy is being followed by the Department in that regard? Will we be sitting here next year talking about the enlarged capacity, having put in place a plant that is already too small?
They cater for the equivalent of 30,000 people, with scope for expansion up to 100,000, so they are looking at it from a long-term perspective.
Looking?
It is being designed and built so the capacity can easily be increased if required later.
It is required now.
