Kilcormac is a priority for tackling water pollution risk
Kilcormac is one of 42 areas nationally where waste water is the main pressure on water bodies at risk of pollution according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The Offaly town is identified in the EPA report, Urban Waste Water Treatment in 2020 this week, which shows that the pace at which improvements in waste water treatment are being delivered is too slow.
The EPA says the treatment plant in Kilcormac needs an upgrade and there is no timeline from Irish Water for completion of the work.
Nationally, 34 towns and villages release raw sewage into the environment every day, and a third of these will continue to do so after 2024.
The report also finds that some 12 large towns and cities, which generate half of Ireland’s waste water, did not meet waste water treatment standards set to protect our environment.
There are another seven large towns and cities where sewers need to be upgraded to address a judgment from the European Court of Justice and to ensure waste water is retained in the sewers and conveyed for treatment.
Whilst the EPA said Irish Water was making progress in resolving environmental issues and the number of priority areas has reduced from 148 to 97 over the past four years, it said there was still a long way to go to bring all deficient treatment systems up to standard.
Irish Water said it was making consistent progress in upgrading wastewater treatment and eliminating the discharge of raw sewage
Over 60% of raw sewage discharges have been eliminated since 2015 – and replaced with treatment capacity for the equivalent of 120,000 people.
It said that in addition to ending the discharge of raw sewage by building infrastructure where none previously existed, it had also been continuing with its programme of upgrading existing wastewater treatment plants and networks in towns and villages
Irish Water said, in Offaly, the upgrade of the wastewater treatment plant in Edenderry is progressing and is currently at the design stage.