Galway County Council has approved plans for significant upgrade works to Ballinasloe wastewater treatment plant.
The plans by Uisce Eireann for the demolition of the existing inlet works at the WWTP, and their full replacement, is meant to reduce flooding, and improve the quality of water filtration.
Planning permission was granted by the county council with six standard conditions attached, including the full implementation of all measures outlined in the Natura Impact Statement.
Uisce Eireann intend to build new inlet works at the WWTP located to the southeast of town, with a new duty standby fine screens, a screenings handling unit, a vortex grit trap, and a grit classifier.
Reducing flooding is also a goal of these works, which will include building a storm overflow chamber, storm feed pumping station, bypass channel, and installing a storm water holding tank.
A planning report submitted with the application states that there is regular flooding in the grit removal chamber during periods of high rainfall, and that there is currently no storm overflow system at the plant.
“During storm conditions, storm flows also overflow at the Dunloe and Poolbeg pumping stations upstream of the WWTP.”
The new inlet works will help remove solids from the wastewater prior to it entering the treatment area, and the storm water system will reduce the discharge or untreated sewage during times of high rainfall.
