Irish Water is to save €20,000-per-year by using environmentally friendly processes at two wastewater treatment plants in Galway.

A sludge drying reed bed, which acts as a natural filter for the sludge (slurry) which comes out of the wastewater treatment plants in Moylough and Killimor, will eliminate the removal of sludge off-site for separate processing.

Among the benefits are the removal of tankers carrying sludge from the roads, habitat creation at the treatment plant, greater controls for the caretaker, greater compliance and a reduction in overflow to rivers.

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Patrick Real, Irish Water's Water and Wastewater Process Optimisation Lead for Galway, said: "It is savings like these that add up to the €100 million that has been saved by Irish Water over the past two years.

"These savings can now be reinvested into areas like Kinvara or Loughrea where ongoing works are continuing and which are of great benefit to the local community.

"The outstanding level of expertise that is available in Irish Water means that small tweaks in production or larger scale cost saving measures are constantly being identified and rolled out across the country. This kind of joined up thinking wasn't previously possible."

(CD/LM)