Uisce Éireann says it is progressing with plans to upgrade wastewater services in Falcarragh.
At present, Falcarragh has no wastewater treatment plant, and untreated sewage is discharged to Ballyness Bay.
A new treatment plant, along with pipework and associated infrastructure, is being developed to address this, and as part of the necessary coastal impact assessment for the project, Uisce Eireann must undertake detailed hydrodynamic and water quality modelling to assess the environmental performance of the future treated effluent discharge to Ballyness Bay.
To support these models, the utility has submitted a Marine Usage Licence application, which is currently pending.
Responding to queries from Cllr Michael Cholm McGiolla Easbuig, Uisce Eireann says once the licence is granted, it will begin the marine surveys. The findings will be incorporated into the impact assessments and the Feasibility Study Report.
In the meantime, preliminary design for the new wastewater treatment plant and associated infrastructure has already been completed, allowing the project team to begin progressing the planning application submission process. This, Uisce Eireann says, ensures that project development continues in parallel, so that once survey data becomes available, subsequent stages can advance without delay.
