Irish Water, working in partnership with Clare County Council, is investing over €3 million in improvement works at the wastewater treatment plant in Shannon and also on a sewerage network project which involves cleaning and surveying the sewers and an analysis of the wider wastewater network in the area.

Irish Water has taken a strategic approach to the progression of these projects in Shannon Town and the surrounding area. To prevent corrosion of the wastewater assets and failure of treatment processes, which can result in odour issues, Irish Water recognises the need for greater control of the waste loads to the sewer network and wastewater treatment plant. This investment in the treatment plant and sewer network will help meet the wastewater services needs for domestic and commercial customers in Shannon Town and the surrounding area.

Shannon Town Sewerage Scheme Improvement Works at the Wastewater Treatment Plant
The investment of over €3 million in improvement works at the wastewater treatment plant will improve the operation of the plant and help reduce the levels of odour from the plant. Irish Water will also carry out a survey of the flow and load levels to the plant to identify if any subsequent upgrade work is required. This work is scheduled to commence in the coming weeks and is anticipated to be complete by the middle of 2016.

Shannon Town Sewerage Network Survey
Irish Water will shortly commence the Shannon Town Foul Sewerage Network Survey project to evaluate the condition of the sewer network. The results of the survey will identify any repair, upgrade or replacement needs in the network. As the survey work is carried out, it will help identify any potential causes of septicity and odour by highlighting any discharges to the network that may contribute to these issues. The survey team will also, where needed, clean the sewers to remove any potential blockages that could damage the network. While the survey work is being carried out some areas may experience temporary odours as a result of the sewer cleaning and lifting of manhole covers. Irish Water expects any odours to be minor in nature and last for a short period of time.

Over the last two years, Irish Water has carried out a number of other improvement projects in the area, including the construction of a new 2km pipeline in Shannon Town which replaced a collapsed rising main and the upgrade of a number of pumping stations in Shannon Town in late 2014, which has ensured the network is operating more effectively and efficiently.

Commenting on Irish Water's investment in the wastewater infrastructure in the area Aisling Buckley, Regional Information Officer at Irish Water said, "Irish Water is committed to ensuring that the wastewater infrastructure in Shannon Town and the surrounding environment fully meets the requirements for both domestic and commercial customers in the area. The surveys carried out in the sewer network will enable Irish Water to fully assess the condition of the network and determine if any upgrade work is necessary. The combined survey and upgrade work at the treatment plant and on the sewer network will provide Irish Water with the optimum treatment options for the wastewater infrastructure in the Shannon area".

Irish Water invested €340 million in improving water and wastewater services in 2014 and over €363 million during 2015. Irish Water plans to spend €532 million on water services in 2016. Capital investment in the region of €700 million per year is required for a sustained period of several decades to address the acknowledged deficiencies in the country's water infrastructure. Works have been prioritised to address the most critical issues in line with commitments outlined in Irish Water's recently published 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.