Improving wastewater network performance, protecting waterways and planning for future population growth and economic development will help improve Galway water supply

Irish Water is investing €2.3 million to develop Drainage Area Plans for Galway City including Barna and Oranmore which feed into the Galway City network, which will help to improve the performance of the wastewater network, protect the environment and facilitate social and economic development over the coming years.

Contracts have been signed by the utility and RPS

Contracts have recently been signed by the utility and RPS Environmental Management Ltd to carry out extensive surveying and mapping of the existing wastewater treatment network in these areas. Parts of the network are very old – dating back to the start of the last century – and much of it has never been mapped previously. Ryan Hanley are acting as Employer’s Representative on the project on behalf of Irish Water.

The information gathered from this project will enable us to identify areas where urgent repair or upgrade work is required and to effectively plan its investment in the wastewater treatment network so that maximum value for money can be achieved while also protecting the environment, preventing sewer flooding and facilitating future population and economic growth.

Works will involve using CCTV to survey and assess

The works will involve using CCTV to survey and assess the condition of over 42km of sewers, mapping an estimated 2,000 manholes, and monitoring the wastewater and rainwater flows in the network.

The surveys, which will get underway in August 2018, will be focussed on key areas such as flooding locations, pumping stations and wastewater treatment plants, areas of predicted future growth and locations experiencing operational issues at present.

Eunan Canavan, Capital Programmes Regional Lead with Irish Water, commented: “This work is part of Irish Water’s commitment to protecting Ireland’s waterways and coastal areas and ensuring that the wastewater infrastructure is in place to support population growth and economic development. Much of the sewer network is in poor condition due to its age and decades of under-investment. In addition, only a small portion of it has been accurately mapped and assessed to determine its condition.

“Data gathered from this project will allow us to improve the wastewater treatment network across Galway by identifying the areas most urgently in need of upgrading and allowing us to plan our investment so that we can meet the needs of these Galway communities now and into the future.”

Works have been prioritised to address critical issues

This project forms part of our investment plan. Works have been prioritised to address the most critical issues in line with commitments outlined in Irish Water’s Business Plan. Delivery of the business plan will involve a €5.5 billion investment in capital spending on drinking water and wastewater quality and capacity and new infrastructure up to 2021.

For more information or to find out what we’re doing in your area, explore our Projects and Plans page.