'Lack of political will' means 200 Irish rivers, lakes and bays still have 'significant' sewage

SWAN coordinator Sinéad O'Brien said: "Sewage discharges are a significant issue for over 200 of our rivers, lakes and bays which have been assessed as unhealthy by the EPA."

Decades of under-investment and "a lack of political will" to tackle Ireland's creaking sewage infrastructure has come home to roost, it has been claimed following stark findings from the environmental watchdog.

The Sustainable Water Network (SWAN), made up of 25 environmental groups, said "precious water wildlife and the health of people should not have to suffer from the dire consequences" of sewage pouring into Irish coastal and river waters.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that only half of Ireland’s sewage meets European standards to protect the environment when 90% is the average across the EU, 32 towns and villages are still discharging raw sewage into the environment every day, and the country’s main treatment plant at Ringsend in Dublin is overloaded.

SWAN said immediate action is needed from the Government to assist Irish Water to fix the problems. The EPA warned that it will take years and will cost billions of euro to fix.

"The fact that raw and poorly treated sewage is still being released into our rivers, lakes and sea is completely unacceptable. It’s polluting our water environment and posing a serious risk to sensitive habitats and to public health," SWAN coordinator Sinéad O'Brien said.

Sewage discharges are a significant issue for over 200 of our rivers, lakes and bays which have been assessed as unhealthy by the EPA. 

"Yet we have no commitment by Government to ensure that the next Irish Water Investment Plan has clear actions to halt this pollution. They must remedy this unacceptable state of affairs by including these measures in their plan for managing Ireland’s inland and coastal waters, the River Basin Management Plan, which is to be published this year.”

According to the EU's Water Framework Directive (WFD), which became law in October 2000, EU member states must have "good" water quality in rivers, lakes, groundwater, estuaries, and coastal waters, by 2027 at the latest.

River Basin Management Plans are unveiled in six-year cycles, and the latest will bring Ireland up to the EU's 2027 deadline.

Ms O'Brien added: "Our precious water wildlife and health of the people should not have to suffer from the dire consequences of an under-resourced, ineffective wastewater infrastructure any longer. Government must step up and meet its responsibilities to the environment and public health. The imminent River Basin Management Plan will be a test of whether they are willing to do that.”

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Irish Water said that €367m was invested in wastewater infrastructure in 2021, the highest level to date in a year, while 60% of raw sewage discharges have been eliminated since 2014 when the firm assumed responsibility for public water services.

It said it is "on track to eliminate the vast majority of raw sewage discharges by the end of 2025, representing a total investment of €750m". A plan is underway to bolster overloaded Ringsend, the firm said.

"Irish Water is currently investing over €500m in the staged upgrading of Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Plant which will deliver the capacity to treat the wastewater for a population equivalent of 2.4 million while achieving the standards of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive by 2025. Irish Water also has plans in place to address any outstanding issues at the remaining non-compliant plants."