Irish Water is progressing plans for the Midleton Sewerage Scheme to ensure the upgrade of wastewater infrastructure in the town and surrounding areas, according to Fine Gael TD for Cork East and Minister of State at the Department of Justice & Equality, David Stanton.
“I am pleased to learn that Irish Water has confirmed detailed plans for the upgrade of the Midleton Sewerage Scheme. The existing scheme has a design capacity of 15,000 population equivalent (pe) but under the proposed upgrade, the Midleton Load Diversion Project will be developed to ensure that existing and future loads up to 16,650 pe will be collected and diverted to Carrigtwohill for treatment. This in turn will significantly reduce existing volumes to the Midleton Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and enable further loads to be catered for”, said David Stanton.
Under the terms of the proposed Midleton Load Diversion Project, the Midleton Network Upgradeworks will be split into two phases:
- Phase 1 – The initial phase will see the construction of a pumping station and approximately 6.2 kilometres of rising main in the Water Rock area, providing the wastewater infrastructure required for the Water Rock Urban Expansion Area and the associated construction of roughly 2,550 new homes.
Planning permission has been granted for the pumping station and site investigation works are due to be completed in the second quarter of this year. Wayleave processes, land acquisition negotiations and statutory consultations remain ongoing with a view to being completed in mid-2021. Irish Water is also assessing whether this phase could enable the diversion of some existing flows to Carrigtwohill WWTP, thus reducing volumes to Midleton and potentially freeing up additional capacity for development. Phase 1 completion is envisaged by 2023, pending all necessary consents and approvals.
- Phase 2 – Under thesecond phase, volumes to the Midleton WWTP of up to 16,650 pe will be collected and transferred to the Carrigtwohill plant for treatment via the newly-developed Water Rock infrastructure. This will involve the design, upgrade and construction of wastewater networks and infrastructure between Midleton and Carrigtwohill which in turn can facilitate the construction of up to 5,000 new houses. With works currently at early design stage, Phase 2 is expected to be completed in 2026.
“With a sustained demand for both social and private housing in the Midleton area, Irish Water and Cork County Council, have outlined the necessity for infrastructure upgrades to facilitate future population growth and local economic development. I would hope that the Midleton Load Diversion Project will be implemented ahead of the scheduled timeframes in order to facilitate planned developments to proceed as quickly as possible. I am certain that these works will be of enormous benefit in encouraging further development in Midleton and Carrigtwohill and I understand that several developers are already seeking planning permission for local projects”, concluded David Stanton.
