The last step of the Cork Lower Harbour Main Drainage Project has officially reached completion.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin was on hand to open the Cork Dockyard Pumping Station, marking the final piece of the scheme.

The new station will ensure raw sewage is transferred from Cobh for treatment, while also forming part of an overall project which means 20,000 homes and businesses are now connected to the overall scheme and that the equivalent of 40,000 wheelie bins of raw sewage no longer discharges daily to the waters of the harbour.

Speaking at the official opening, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: "This is a historic day for the communities living in and around Cork Lower Harbour, completing a project that ensures a cleaner harbour, and provides new opportunities for sustainable social and economic development.

"We have already seen the benefits that this project has brought to Ringaskiddy, Shanbally, Crosshaven, Carrigaline, Passage West and Monkstown.

"This final stage will add to that improvement – providing further capacity for growth and enhancing the wonderful amenity that is Cork Harbour, the second largest natural harbour in the world."

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Eamon Gallen, Irish Water's General Manager, added: "Today is a hugely significant milestone in Irish Water's work to eliminate raw sewage discharges in Ireland.

"The completion of this work brings to 17 the number of towns and villages across the country where Irish Water has built new wastewater infrastructure since 2014. Well over half of the raw sewage entering waterways in Ireland has now been eliminated and we are on track to fully remove the majority of raw sewage discharges in Ireland by 2025. This represents an overall investment of €650 million towards improving water quality in our rivers, lakes and seas, ensuring compliance with Irish and European legislation to the benefit of our local communities, our environment and our economy."

Explaining more about the project, Déaglán Healy, Irish Water's project manager, commented: "We have come a long way since we started work on this project in 2014.

"When we started, the equivalent of 40,000 wheelie bins of raw sewage was discharging into Cork Harbour every day. We built a state of the art wastewater treatment plant in Shanbally and connected existing networks in Crosshaven and Carrigaline to the plant, so that half of this sewage was treated by 2017. We expanded the sewer network to connect the towns of Ringaskiddy, Shanbally, Passage West and Monkstown, by early 2019. We then created a vital link between Cobh and Monkstown by completing two of the longest directional drills in the country to install sewer pipes some 60m under the Estuary.

"Today, after two years working to expand the sewer network in Cobh, we are now transferring the raw sewage from Cobh for treatment via that Estuary Crossing, before its safe discharge to sea – it's a great day. I am proud to have worked on this project and I am thankful to all those that have contributed to make this a reality. The Cobh Network works have been delivered safely through a hugely collaborative effort between Irish Water, Cork County Council, Nicholas O Dwyer, Farrans Sorensen Joint Venture and of course, all the communities and businesses whose cooperation and patience have allowed these works to succeed. I'd like to say a huge thank you to all."