The equivalent of 20,000 wheelie bins of raw sewage is released into Cork Lower Harbour every day. Irish Water, in partnership with Cork County Council, is working to end this practice and clean up the harbour through its investment in the Cork Lower Harbour Main Drainage Project.

Since the project got underway in 2014, the amount of raw sewage being discharged into the harbour has halved – down from the equivalent of 40,000 wheelie bins every day to 20,000. By the time the project is completed in 2021, this will be reduced to zero. This will have major benefits in terms of protecting the environment and the health of local communities, facilitating economic development and providing for a growing population.

The project involves the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant at Shanbally, 14 pumping stations, 30km of new pipelines as well as repairing 25km of old pipes. By the time it is completed, all wastewater from Cobh, Passage West, Glenbrook, Monkstown, Carrigaline, Ringaskiddy and Shanbally will fully treated before being safely returned to the environment.

Substantial progress has been made to date, including the opening of the treatment plant in Shanbally in April 2017 and the construction of a new sewer network around Carrigaline, Shanbally and Ringaskiddy. Work is currently underway in the Passage West-Monkstown area to build new pumping stations and sewers to take wastewater from homes and businesses in the area to the treatment plant in Shanbally. An important milestone was reached in Monkstown recently with the installation of the underground structure that will house the pumping station at Monkstown carpark. This structure – or ‘caisson’ – was built above ground and then sunk into its final position in order to minimise the time and disruption associated with constructing it underground.

Towards the end of this year Irish Water will be moving into the next phase of the project involving the construction of a pipeline across the harbour which will connect Cobh to the new wastewater treatment network. Together with the construction of new sewers in the town, which will commence in early 2019, this will allow all Cobh’s sewage to be pumped to Shanbally for treatment before being safely returned to the environment. By the time the project is completed, more than 20,000 homes and businesses are to be connected to the network. That is 20,000 homes and businesses that will no longer be discharging untreated sewage into the harbour.