‘Virginia Water Treatment Plant should be prioritised’

Members of the Ballyjamesduff Municipal District have given a commitment to ensure an upgrade to the Virginia Water Treatment Plant is prioritised in the next County Development Plan.

At the June statutory meeting of the authority, FG councillor Cllr TP O'Reilly called on Cavan County Council to liaise with Irish Water to press ahead with the upgrade of the vital piece of water infrastructure.

Councillors heard that Veolia, the company tasked with providing the upgrades to the treatment plant, have yet to provide a delivery deadline. Veolia is a transnational company that provides water, waste and energy management solutions.

Cllr O'Reilly said he raised the matter as it was an “ongoing issue” and was having an adverse affect on the town. In the past, figures from Inland Fisheries suggest that the population of Virginia sees capacity at the plant exceed its design recommendations by 37%.

However, Irish Water maintain that the town's wastewater treatment plant is “currently operating at capacity” and that it “is fully compliant with the terms of its EPA Wastewater Discharge Licence and the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive”.

In the last number of years An Bord Pleanála, considering appeals by Inland Fisheries Ireland on proposed housing developments, halted a number of projects citing the burden on the existing water infrastructure.

The State agency responsible for the protection, management and conservation of Ireland's inland fisheries has said any new sizeable development would add “extra wastewater which would result at an already overloaded wastewater treatment plant”.

In a statement toThe Anglo-Celt,Irish Water said: “The Virginia Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade is at the detailed design stage. We are upgrading the plant to increase capacity for social and economic development, reduce storm overflow frequency, and improve the level of treatment to comply with the EPA discharge licence. However, it is worth noting that the plant has some capacity to accept a small number of new connections in the meantime.”

At the meeting Cllr Shane P O'Reilly said the increase in populations in Virginia and Mullagh have been “massive” and that further growth is hampered by the inadequate water infrastructure.

“We fought hard to make planning opportunities available,” Cllr Shane P O'Reilly said, “but there is a lack of urgency on the part of Irish Water to address the problems.”

“Ordinary people who are trying to do small development are being turned down because of the problems with the Virginia Water Treatment Plant,” he said.

Director of Services Eoin Doyle acknowledged the difficulty: “This is a key constraint on the town. Water services are following it up as a key priority. There should be cross-party lobbying for the sake of development in the town.”

Mr Doyle encouraged members to have a discussion “to ensure that it is in the forthcoming County Development Plan”.