Beach set for return to golden days with €20m upgrade

NAPPIES, condoms and other unsightly waste will soon disappear from the beach of a booming seaside town under a €20 million upgrade of its sewerage system.

Tramore in Co Waterford, whose reputation has been tarnished by problems with its waterworks system, should be back on the map as a clean, green holiday destination when the revamp is completed in about 18 months.

County engineer John O’Flynn said while the current contract includes the collection system, pipeline and mechanical as well as electrical works, it is hoped the second tranche of the scheme, the treatment plant contract, will be ready by the end of this year, completely eliminating the problems in the popular resort.

“The problem will be solved to a degree over the next year. The effluent is currently exiting at about 300 to 400 metres out at sea. It will now be 2km out and is designed to cater for the population of Tramore in 25 years time.

“We hope that there would be minimum disruption to tourism interests but we will have contractors working on the beach, beginning early this summer.”

Mr O’Flynn said the council’s aim was to get Blue Flag status back for Tramore as soon as possible.

Over the past few summers in particular, the sewerage system has backed up, leading to waste, including nappies, condoms and other sanitary items being washed up onto the beach in the town.

Local Fine Gael councillor, Lola O’Sullivan, said the scheme will be a huge boost for Tramore and augurs well for the future of the town.

Announcing details of the investment, Environment Minister Martin Cullen said: “It will cater for Tramore’s growing resident population and the influx of visitors in the high season. By treating the town’s wastewater to stringent EU standards, it will transform the environment in the Tramore Bay area.

“Existing discharges of untreated sewage will also be eliminated and this will result in a major improvement in water quality for tourism, recreational and amenity purposes,” he added.