In what was hailed as a “great day for the communities”, Irish Water has announced that working in conjunction with Cork County Council, works have been completed on two new, state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plants in Dripsey and Coachford.

Irish Water said both areas were previously served by overloaded and outdated wastewater treatment infrastructure and that the new plants will bring significant benefits to the villages, enhancing the local environment and providing the platform for ongoing growth and development.

Both plants are designed to comply with the Emission Limit Values in the Wastewater Discharge Authorisation and to provide capacity for the projected residential growth in the National Planning Framework and draft County Development Plan.

Irish Water Delivery Lead for the projects, Seamus Glynn, said the completion of the works heralded a “great day for the communities of Dripsey and Coachford”.

“These are very important projects for us to have completed in terms of accommodating future population growth in both areas and protecting the environmental quality of the Drispey River and the River Lee.

“These projects will support the growth of the surrounding areas in line with the government’s 'Housing for All' policy and enhance local amenities for years to come,” he continued.

The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Gillian Coughlan, said the new plants will bring “significant benefits” to the people of Dripsey and Coachford from an environmental, economic and social perspective.

“In partnership with Irish Water, Cork County Council always welcomes such infrastructure which bring real benefit to local communities,” she added.

In Drispey, the project involved the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant and upgrades to the sewer networks to serve Dripsey and the surrounding local area, serving a population equivalent of approximately 600 people.

The project also involved the rehabilitation and replacement of gravity mains, installing a new outfall pipe, and decommission and demolition of the existing wastewater treatment plant.

In Coachford, the project involved the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant, which will serve a population equivalent of approximately 1,600.

The project also involved upgrading the sewer network and construction of a new outfall pipeline and decommissioning and demolition of the existing septic tank on the site.

Both projects, carried out by EPS group on behalf of Irish Water, are part of a €27 million investment in the construction of new wastewater infrastructure in the Cork mid-West area.

Other projects include the completed Baile Bhúirne/Baile Mhic Íre wastewater treatment plant and the Innishannon wastewater treatment plant due to be completed in the second quarter of this year.