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Over €310,000 has been secured to upgrade wastewater treatment plants in Baile An Fheirtéarigh (Ballyferriter) and Castlegregory.
Irish Water approved the investment of €313,000.
The existing plants are overloaded and unable to adequately treat wastewater, particularly during the busy tourist season.
Irish Water is working on the design and development of the projects with Kerry County Council and both upgrade projects are expected to be completed by the middle of 2016. The projects will ensure that effluent is compliant with EU directives and Irish statutory requirements and will improve the environmental quality of receiving waters from both plants.
The wastewater treatment plant in Baile An Fheirtéarigh (Ballyferriter) currently provides primary treatment only with treated effluent from the plant discharged into a small stream, which flows into Smerwick Harbour. By adding secondary treatment to the wastewater treatment plant at Baile An Fheirtéarigh, Irish Water will improve the quality of effluent being discharged into the nearby river and from there into the harbour. The project will deliver many benefits for the Gaeltacht community of Baile An Fheirtéarigh , including a wastewater treatment plant that will cater fully for additional loads during the busy tourist season.
The existing wastewater treatment plant in Castlegregory caters for a population equivalent of 300. Assessments carried out by Irish Water indicate the current population equivalent in Castlegregory is 800. The proposed upgrade will replace the existing overloaded primary treatment with a new increased capacity primary treatment plant, as required by the wastewater discharge licence issued by the EPA. This upgrade will improve the quality of effluent being discharged to the stream adjacent to the plant and from there into Tralee Bay. The protection of water quality in Tralee Bay and the Blue Flag Beach at Maherabeg is a key benefit of this project for County Kerry, helping to maintain Castlegregory as a well-known beautiful coastal destination.
(CD/MH)
