Business and housing investment in Cloughjordan has ground to a halt due to capacity issues at the local wastewater treatment plant.
Local Fine Gael Councillor Ger D’Arcy is urging Irish Water to upgrade the plant, saying there’s no chance of further development in the area otherwise.
In a statement to Tipp FM, Irish Water says the needs for the Cloughjordan plant are being reviewed for consideration in the next Capital Investment Period: 2025-2029.
Over-capacity at the plant means that planned construction projects can’t proceed, including new house building.
Ger says they’ve reached a “redline” when it comes to the problem:
“There are a good number of community-led initiatives that are being worked on at the moment, not least the Old Mill at the bottom of the Main Street and the Coach House.
“There are also a large number of brownfield sites, up to 50, that are available for purchase in the Eco Village, but of course they won’t be able to get planning either without investment in the wastewater system.”
Full statement from Irish Water:
Irish Water is currently reviewing the capital investment needs for Cloughjordan wastewater treatment plant with a view to including these investment needs for consideration in the next capital investment period (2025-2029).
Irish Water’s Capital Investment Plan is reviewed, approved and monitored by Irish Water’s financial regulator, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, in line with agreed periods.
The latest capital investment plan that has been recently approved covers the period from 2020-2024 and has completed an extensive consultation process with public and private stakeholders during 2018 and 2019.
The building, repair and upgrading of Irish Water’s water treatment plants, wastewater treatment plants, water and sewer network requires a multi-billion-euro investment programme over many years.
Irish Water is committed to providing a safe and reliable water supply, protecting the environment and supporting the growth of homes and businesses. Irish Water’s investment plan prioritises key outcomes such as leakage, water supply zones being removed from the EPA’s Remedial Action List, areas where there is raw sewage entering the rivers, lakes and the sea (untreated agglomerations), and areas identified by the European Court of Justice under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.
In preparing the Investment Plan, Irish Water has optimised investment decisions by prioritising the best possible service improvements, while maximising value-for-money. The list of projects and programmes is continuously being refined based on new and emerging needs and is subject to funding, technical and environmental constraints, as well as statutory approvals.
Irish Water has ambitious plans, which will stop the discharge of raw sewage to the sea. We will also continue our investment in leakage, the removal of schemes from the EPA’s Remedial Action list and the provision of clean, safe drinking water.
Irish Water plays a key role in delivering water and wastewater infrastructure to meet housing and development needs, address legacy infrastructure deficiencies and are working to improve compliance with environmental standards for schemes across the country.
