Longford only county in line with EU sewage rules (July 2nd, 2009)

July 2, 2009 at 2:57 pm Leave a comment

Longford County Council is the only local authority in the country that fully complies with the EU directive on waste water treatment, according to the latest report from the Environmental Protection Agency. The survey published this week looks at whether sewage was adequately treated in Ireland during 2006 and 2007. It singles out Longford for praise, while a shocking 50 per cent of treatment plants in the rest of the Republic are described as inadequate. Local authorities elsewhere are facing prosecution and/or fines of between €5,000 and €500,000 under new powers granted to the EPA.
However, two sewage works in Longford still only have what are called ‘primary’ treatment facilities, instead of the secondary treatment plants required. They’re listed as Drumlish and Newtownforbes. The sewage works at Newtownforbes was inspected twice in 2007 when concerns were raised about poor effluent quality, but upgrading work at the site is due to get underway later this year.