Cork East Fine Gael TD and Minister of State at the Department of Justice & Equality, David Stanton, has welcomed the news that the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy TD, has signed off on the Cobh Sewerage Networks contract as part of the Cork Lower Harbour Main Drainage Project.

Minister Stanton said “I am delighted to learn that tangible progress is being made on the Cobh Sewerage Network as part of the planned works for Cobh 2019-2021 under the Cork Lower Harbour Main Drainage Project. Irish Water is currently finalising documentation with contractors and it is expected that the contract will be signed later this month.

“The €144 million Cork Lower Harbour Main Drainage Project proposed by Irish Water and Cork County Council aims to eradicate the discharge of wastewater into Cork Lower Harbour through the treatment of the equivalent of 40,000 wheelie bins of raw sewage daily by the end of 2021. Through the construction of the Shanbally Wastewater Treatment Plant, the project has already halved the amount of untreated raw sewage being discharged into the harbour and the Cobh network improvements will see the volume further reduced.

“The Cobh Networks Contract provides for the construction of five pumping stations in addition to 3,750m of gravity sewer mains and pipes and 3,125m of pumped sewer mains and pipes with the works expected to be completed by 2021. The signing of the network contract will follow on from last month’s award of the contract for the design and construction of the Cobh to Monkstown Estuary Crossing.

“Upon completion of the Cobh works, the town’s wastewater will be transported to the Monkstown pumping station via the estuary crossing and then pumped onwards to the Shanbally plant for treatment. This is a very important development for Cobh to ensure the protection of the environment and the safeguarding of the harbour which is central to the local tourism industry”.

Further information on the Cobh Networks Contract and the Cobh to Monkstown Estuary Crossing Contract are available on Irish Water’s website at:

https://www.water.ie/projects-plans/cork-lower-harbour/news-updates/#cobh-networks