Wastewater is still being released from many areas without adequate treatment – affecting water quality in rivers, lakes and along the coasts.
A report from the Environmental Protection Agency says over half of licensed treatment plants, and 10 percent of storm water overflows, fail to meet national standards.
34 priority urban areas include Tullow in Carlow where an infrastructural upgrade is underway and also Mullinahone on the Tipperary Kilkenny border where Uisce Éireann plans to start infrastructural upgrades in by 2030.
Niall Horgan is a senior wastewater compliance manager with the utility company he says there have been improvements overall, such as a reduction in the volume of raw sewage being discharged daily – which has more than halved since the start of 2024.
