Junior Mayors pay visit to Athlone Wastewater Treatment Plant
Junior Mayors from four local schools recently paid a visit to Athlone Wastewater Treatment Plant with former Athlone Mayor Cllr Frankie Keena.
The primary school pupils and their teachers took a behind-the-scenes look at how wastewater is safely treated before being returned to the River Shannon during a recent visit to the plant.
Students from Baylin NS, Milltown NS, St. Mary's NS and St. Oliver Plunkett Boys NS were met on site by Padraic Joyce, Robert Fay, Dominic McGuire and Tara Mulvany from Uisce Éireann who explained how pollutants, solids, and harmful bacteria are removed to ensure that the treated water released back into the river meets environmental standards.
The students also heard about the problems caused by wet wipes, fats, oils, and grease and agreed to share this important information gathered with their peers and parents.
The students were really focused and interested which was very evident by them asking a lot of relevant questions about the treatment process and how the plant operates.
Cllr. Frankie Keena thanked Tara Mulvany for organising the tour, and indeed the entire Uisce Éireann team for making it so informative and enjoyable.
"This was a fantastic learning curve for not only the students and school staff but also for me. I would like to commend the young Junior Mayors and their teachers for attending and for taking such an interest in this vital process of wastewater treatment," Cllr Keena said.
"It is unfortunate that some people still flush wet wipes, fats, oils and grease down the toilet, the scale of this problem was visible with the amount of such waste gathered in collection bins during the segregation process, he stated.
"he main message that needs to be echoed to that cohort of the public is to please refrain from doing this," he added.
The Junior Mayor programme, which is organised by Cllr Keena, offers students a voice on a wide range of matters such as the environment, climate, transport, roads, and political matters.