Planning permission is being sought for major upgrades to the Ballinasloe Wastewater Treatment Plan to reduce flooding and improve quality.
Uisce Eireann has submitted plans to the county council for the demolition of the existing inlet works at the WWTP located to the south east of the town.
They then intend to build new inlet works 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.
Other works involved in the project will involve installing a new final effluent wash water pumping station and electrical control systems.
A decision on this planning application is due from Galway County Council by June 20 of this year.
