Irish Water applies for planning permission for reed beds pilot project at site in Palatine
It's a trial
Irish Water has applied for planning permission for the construction of a reed beds pilot project at a site in Palatine.
The application is for the construction of four sludge drying reed beds, area of bed floors 190m2, gross footprint of beds 580m2, constructed within the boundary of the existing wastewater treatment plant.
The pilot project is to trial the use of reed beds for the management and treatment of sludge.
If successful, this will be a more efficient and sustainable method of treating sludge and also resulting in operation cost savings.
Irish Water's latest planning application is part of a €900,000 investment across Carlow.
The reed bed acts as a natural filter for the sludge that comes out of wastewater treatment plants. This eliminates the need for the removal of the sludge off-site for separate processing.
Irish Water has signed a contract with Glan Agua to design and construct the proposed sludge drying reed beds at eight wastewater treatment plants in Carlow.
The locations are:
Myshall
Ballon
Clonegal
Raheendoran
Fenagh
Palatine
Kildavin
Rathoe
This cost-saving system will have numerous environmental, compliance, performance and financial benefits.
Among those is the removal of tankers carrying sludge from the roads, habitat creation at the treatment plant, greater controls for the caretaker on site, greater compliance and reduction in overflow to rivers.
This project will also address noise and odour issues that have been experienced by local residents.
A decision is due by Carlow County Council on January 11.