Irish Water has just completed a €0.5 million investment in the Rathmullan Water Treatment Plant in Co Donegal which will ensure improved water quality and security of supply for customers served from this plant.
As part of the project Irish Water constructed a multi-flow clarifier, a sludge storage facility as well as providing new chemical storage and associated site works.
The works were completed over a 10-week period by Veolia and assisted by Donegal County Council on behalf of Irish Water.
The Rathmullan supply is on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Remedial Action List (RAL) for high levels of THMs and these works were undertaken to reduce the risk posed by THMs for these customers.
The current water treatment plant in Rathmullan is supplying 50 per cent of the customers in Rathmullan and the other 50 per cent are supplied via an adjacent supply at Milford water treatment plant. The proposed solution was to provide a package treatment plant at the Rathmullan supply to alleviate the reliance on the Milford supply.
Commenting, Irish Water’s Capital Programme Lead Martin Temple said: “These important works for the Rathmullan Water Treatment Plant have just been completed and consumers in the area are now being supplied with an improved water quality where the risk from THMs has been reduced.”
Irish Water has put in place the first national THM plan and a prioritised programme of investment to address all inadequacies in drinking water parameters including THMs. By 2021 the utility plans to reduce the number of schemes on the RAL to zero with an investment of €327 million in upgrading water supplies at risk from THMs.
THMs, or trihalomethanes are chemicals formed by the reaction of naturally occurring dissolved organic material with chlorine which is used for disinfection in order to protect against pathogenic bacteria.
This project forms part of Irish Water’s investment plan where works have been prioritised to address the most critical issues in line with commitments outlined in Irish Water’s business plan. Delivery of the business plan will involve a €5.5bn investment in capital spending on drinking water and wastewater quality and capacity and new infrastructure up to 2021.
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