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A major €32 million initiative aimed at tackling water pollution across the north-west of Ireland was officially launched yesterday (11 November) at Finn Lough Resort, Co Fermanagh.
The Water Enhancements through Sustainable Treatment (WEST) project will target pollution in Counties Fermanagh, Tyrone, Leitrim, Sligo, Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal using advanced catchment modelling and sustainable wastewater treatment solutions.
Funded through the EU-backed PEACEPLUS programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), WEST brings together NI Water and Uisce Éireann in a cross-border partnership to improve water quality in Lough Erne, Lough Melvin and Donegal Bay. The catchments fall within the North-Western International River Basin District—an area impacted by agricultural and forestry activity, urban runoff and wastewater discharges.
The partnership will assess and prioritise investment needs to tackle pollution at its source, irrespective of jurisdiction. The project will produce two detailed action strategies, supported by scientific modelling and sustainable treatment recommendations, to be submitted to environmental regulators on both sides of the border.
As part of the initiative, four low-carbon wastewater treatment upgrades will be delivered in Belleek and Garrison in Northern Ireland, and Ballybay and Blacklion in the Republic of Ireland. The improvements are expected to enhance wastewater treatment for at least 5,000 people, with capacity for a further 1,000.
The project falls under the Water Quality Improvement Programme strand of PEACEPLUS, which supports collaborative efforts to meet Water Framework Directive standards for selected water bodies.
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne TD welcomed the initiative, said: "Cooperation is vital to ensure the protection and improvement of water quality across the region. The shared approach of this PEACEPLUS-funded project embodies what is needed to improve water quality in a sustainable manner. We welcome this project which includes the implementation of four low carbon wastewater treatment upgrades within the Republic of Ireland (Ballybay and Blacklion) and Northern Ireland (Belleek and Garrison).
"I am also delighted to see nature-based, low-energy sustainable wastewater treatment technologies. These are common in Europe, but have not been trialled on this scale in Ireland before."
