Athlone's raw sewage shame

There are eight locations where raw sewage is discharged into the River Shannon in the centre of Athlone, the Westmeath Independent has learned. The problem arises due to deficiencies in the town's outdated sewerage system. During times of heavy rainfall, a mixture of storm water and sewage flows from the local sewer network directly into the Shannon and the Athlone Canal at eight locations. This is due to a combined sewer overflow system, which acts to protect the sewerage treatment plant from being flooded during storms by expelling the excess material into the river. Westmeath County Council has also confirmed that there are three emergency overflow facilities at three sewerage pumping stations as well as another winter-time sewerage discharge point south of The Docks. The council has been planning to eliminate these outflows of sewage for several years - but work to address the issue has been subject to ongoing delays. The local authority recently confirmed that no inroads have been made in tackling the problem in recent years. As a result, sewage continues to be pumped into the river and canal during heavy downpours. In 2007, the council said the sewage discharges meant it was not in compliance with the urban wastewater directive, and it planned to achieve compliance by replacing sewers and providing storm water holding tanks to contain excess stormwater and return it to the sewer network after the rainfall stopped. It also planned to replace the sewer along the Docks in Athlone, which is subject to infiltration from the Shannon at high winter river levels. Four years ago, the council said it expected all of this work to be completed by 2010. However the local authority recently confirmed to the Westmeath Independent that none of the planned upgrade works have been started. Greg Duggan, Senior Project Engineer in the Council's Water Services Department, said: "The council has submitted contract documents to the Department of the Environment, Community & Local Government for major improvements in the sewerage system that will eliminate the combined sewer outflows and is awaiting approval to proceed to tender." The sewage outflows occur at the following locations: Burgess Park, Abbey Road Pumping Station, Coosan East pumping station, Roscommon Road pumping station, West Bank pumping station, Mid-Canal, Coosan Road, and the River Siphon (Westside). The council also explained that during periods of high winter levels on the Shannon, the likelihood of river water entering the sewerage system in the Docks means that all flow from the sewer is directed to the outflow pipe located south of the jetty below Athlone Locks. Mr Duggan said the planned replacement of the Docks sewer is included in the Athlone Sewerage Scheme currently awaiting approval from the Department to proceed to tender.