Funding has been granted for the upgrade of a wastewater treatment facility in Ardmore, Co Waterford.

The contract has been awarded to P Elliot & Co, who will undertake works on the collection network in Cappoquin and provide an interim wastewater treatment system.

The project forms part of the Waterford Grouped Towns and Villages Sewerage Scheme, which is funded under the Department of Environment's €48m Water Services Investment Programme 2007 - 2009.

Works will include the construction of new or upgraded wastewater treatment and collection systems in Ardmore, Ballyduff/Kilmeaden, Cappoquin, Dunmore East, Kilmacthomas, Stradbally and Tallow.

Waterford County Council is advancing the scheme on the basis of separate contracts for the collection systems and a single Design Build and Operate (DBO) contract for the wastewater treatment plants.

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When completed, the scheme will cater for new residential and commercial development in the towns and villages involved.

Environment Minister John Gormley said Waterford County Council has already completed the works on upgrading the wastewater collection systems in Tallow and Kilmacthomas.

"In addition, I have just approved the necessary funding for the Cappoquin and Ardmore contracts - the latter contract will provide preliminary treatment works at Ardmore pending the construction of the proposed new treatment plant under the DBO contract to improve current wastewater discharges to Ardmore Bay," he said.

"The council can now award those contracts."

The Minister also pointed out that the Council is currently assessing tenders received for the Stradbally collection system, and is preparing the contract documents for the collection networks in the remaining villages of Ardmore, Ballyduff / Kilmeaden and Dunmore East.

Waterford council is also finalising the contract documents for the new wastewater treatment plants at the seven locations and will submit those documents to the Department for approval as soon as possible.

(PR/GK)