20-05-2025
‘Untreated sewage' in Ireland poses huge public health risk
An appeal has been made to the European Commission to 'act' on the issue of untreated sewage in Ireland by the Independent MEP Michael McNamara.
The MEP said a recent report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has shone a spotlight on the 'lack of adequate, or any, wastewater treatment in several towns and villages throughout Ireland'.
According to McNamara the EU's Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive requires member states to ensure adequate collection and treatment of wastewater.
But the EPA report highlighted that wastewater treatment at Lahinch, Kilkee, and Killaloe in Co. Clare, Foynes, Glin and Limerick City, Rathcormac and Cloyne in Co. Cork and Aughrim in Co. Wicklow 'failed to meet European Union standards to protect the environment'.
Sewage
The EPA also found that some villages 'have no sewerage infrastructure at all' which the MEP said leads to the 'discharge of raw sewage into waterways or the sea'.
McNamara added: 'The lack of wastewater treatment infrastructure is glossed over when we talk about water quality deterioration.
'The recent good weather has brought welcome crowds to our coastal and waterside villages.
'However, many of these destinations, which are economically reliant on a large influx of summer visitors, are unsewered, which poses a huge environmental and public health risk.'
The MEP said that figures show '547 villages and settlements in Ireland' are unsewered and he wants to know who is responsible for monitoring compliance with EU environmental law in relation to this.
He has pointed out that 'adequate collection and treatment of wastewater in communities of 2,000 persons or more is required by the law' and he believes that some villages will exceed these numbers during the summer months.
'Many of these communities have themselves recognised the need for sewerage infrastructure but that need has been overlooked by local and national government and state agencies,' McNamara said.
According to the MEP Uisce Éireann does not assess locations which do not have existing sewerage network or treatment facilities.
He is now calling on the European Commission to 'act' and identify which Irish state agency is 'responsible for assessing the need for wastewater infrastructure' in villages where there is no sewerage network at present.
