NI Water has marked the completion of an £8 million upgrade at Ballygawley Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW) with a site visit from Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins.

The programme, which began in summer 2023 at the facility off Tullybryan Road/Rameen Drive, was designed to support future development in the area and deliver environmental benefits.

The enhanced treatment process now meets stricter environmental discharge consent standards and is expected to help improve water quality in the Ballygawley River, a tributary of the River Blackwater that ultimately drains to Lough Neagh.

Minister Liz Kimmins, said: "I was pleased to see firsthand the work undertaken to complete this critical £8m upgrade. This investment will raise the capacity of the Works by approximately 33% which is great news for the local economy. This will enable the removal of development constraints in Ballygawley, whilst delivering important environmental improvements.

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"This lies at the heart of my three-pronged approach and demonstrates that it is already beginning to deliver encouraging results."

GRAHAM was the main contractor on the scheme, supported by local firms including Cookstown-based TES Group, Tetra Tech RPS and Belfast-based designers Doran Consulting.

During construction, the existing treatment works continued to operate. Where feasible, existing assets were retained and complemented by new infrastructure to reduce capital costs. The upgraded works employs a traditional, sustainable treatment process with the lowest possible energy requirements.

PJ McCaffrey, Contracts Director at GRAHAM, said: "We're proud of our continued successful partnership with NI Water and the strong collaborative approach that underpins the delivery of projects like the Ballygawley WwTW. Working together, we've been able to enhance vital local infrastructure while prioritising long-term environmental sustainability. Schemes such as this demonstrate the value of creating resilient infrastructure that benefits communities both now and in the future."