Finneran Opens Sligo Wastewater Plant

Mr. Michael Finneran T.D., Minister for Housing and Local Services has today (25 May 2009) officiated at the official opening of the Sligo Town Wastewater Treatment Scheme. This 29 million project provides Sligo with modern wastewater treatment facilities.

The Sligo Wastewater Treatment Plant will provide treatment for an initial 50,000 population equivalent, with scope for future expansion to 80,000.  The Minister said that the scheme "will be of major benefit not only to Sligo but to the region as a whole."  The main objective when the plant was being designed was to ensure that wastewater from Sligo town meets the stringent standards of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive and to improve water quality in the receiving waters.

The scheme is a big step forward for Sligo from both an economic and environmental point of view.  The Minister said "it reflects the Government's ongoing commitment to preserving and protecting our water resources as a key element of environmental policy, to meeting EU standards for drinking water and wastewater treatment and to putting critical infrastructure in place that will ensure ongoing support for industrial, commercial and other development."

The Minister expressed his view that the new plant is already ensuring that water quality in the Garavogue River and Sligo Bay has improved and that further improvements in these water bodies can be anticipated into the future.

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