No capacity shortage at Tipperary wastewater despite upgrade delays, says Uisce Éireann
There is currently no shortage of capacity at the Nenagh wastewater treatment plant, despite concerns raised by local councillors.
At the March meeting of the Nenagh Municipal District, independent councillor Séamie Morris said he had “serious concerns” about delays in work starting on the upgrade of the Nenagh WWTP, adding that it will have a knock-on effect on housing developments in the future.
“I’m extremely concerned about the ability of the wastewater treatment plant, which was supposed to be finished by 2024, and it’s now told it won’t be finished until 2029. I’m concerned about the ability for us to manage getting wastewater connections as housing developments finish,” Cllr Morris said.
"I’m looking at our housing plan, and we’re gone to a six-step process now for social housing, and some of these social housing projects in Nenagh started years ago,” Cllr Morris told the meeting.
However, Uisce Éireann have now issued a statement to say that there is currently no shortage of capacity at the WWTP, and that new connections can still be added to the existing plant.
"Uisce Éireann can confirm that there is available capacity to facilitate new development in Nenagh in the short to medium term using the existing wastewater treatment plant which must remain operational while the upgrade is carried out.
"Approved connection applications already in the system can proceed. Further connections can be progressed through the Connections and Developer Services (CDS) process now that the upgrade is underway,” the utility added.
Work on the multi-million euro upgrade of the Nenagh Wastewater Treatment Plant got underway in February. When completed, the plant will allow for the town of Nenagh to grow into the future.
Works on the €49million upgrade to the plant are slated for completion in 2029.
In the meantime, the statement advises that developers and individuals should contact Uisce Éireann early in the planning process to start a connection request.
"Any individual or developer proposing to seek a new wastewater connection should contact the Uisce Éireann Connection and Developer Services Team as early as possible in their development planning process,” a spokesperson said.
"Uisce Éireann can confirm that the investment underway to upgrade the plant includes for tertiary treatment,” they added.
The upgrade to the WWTP, once completed in 2029, is expected to support long-term population and housing growth in Nenagh.