Ballinalack Agglomeration

Wastewater Treatment Plant

Waste Water Certificate of Authorisation Application (Register Number A0006-01)

Regulation 24 Compliance Requirements

For inspection purposes only. Consent of copyright owner required for any other use.

County Buildings

Mullingar Co. Westmeath

Phone: 04493 - 32000

Fax: 04493 -35231

EPA Export 26-07-2013:23:55:50 1. Provide a revised drawing clearly detailing the boundary of the agglomeration to which this application relates. Please note that the agglomeration boundary shall include all areas serviced by the sewer network and shall include the wastewater treatment plant. All areas of the agglomeration shall be connected by the agglomeration boundary.

Drawing No.1, Agglomeration boundary, has been revised to include all areas that are currently served by the sewer network. The Ballinalack waste water treatment plant has also been included inside of the red agglomeration line. The revised drawing is attached in Appendix A.

2. Provide details regarding the connection of additional houses to the network. Specify a timeframe within which the connections will be complete. There is no proposal within the Water Services Investment Programme 2010-2012 to extend the existing sewer network outside of the revised agglomeration boundary (Drawing No.1, Appendix A). At this stage it is impossible to say if an extended capital funded scheme will take place to serve the reaming core of the village. Currently Westmeath County Council has no plans to seek extension of the network.

There have been two queries from residents within the Ballinalack village with regard to the establishment of a group sewerage scheme with the intent of joining into the existing network that currently serves the Inis Glorá Housing estate. Group Sewerage schemes are part funded by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DoEHLG) under the heading of the Rural Water Programme. Westmeath County Council completes funding applications under the Rural Water Programme to the DoEHLG on an annual basis for the purpose of funding group sewerage and group water scheme proposals. Despite applying for funding under the group sewerage scheme heading WCC did not receive any grant funding commitment for the establishment of such schemes for 2010. Again it is impossible to predict if funding will be available unde r the For inspectionRural purposesWater only. Programme for the establishment of Consent of copyright owner required for any other use. group sewerage schemes during 2011.

To date no official application however has been made to Westmeath County Council and both queries have not progressed to a design stage.

At the time of writhing of the original Ballinalack application it was suggested that a possible future population equivalent of 55 is likely to contribute to the wastewater network within the Ballinalack agglomeration within the next six years, bringing the total population equivalent to 179. Due to the changed financial conditions and the limitations on financial funds under the rural water programme it is unlikely that the network will be extended to include remaining houses during the timeframe of any granted certificate of authorisation.

1

EPA Export 26-07-2013:23:55:50 Appendix A – Drawing Attachments

Drawing No Title Revision Date Drawing No.1 Agglomeration Plan A 12/11/2010

For inspection purposes only. Consent of copyright owner required for any other use.

2

EPA Export 26-07-2013:23:55:50 For inspection purposes only. Consent of copyright owner required for any other use.

EPA Export 26-07-2013:23:55:50

Revised Non-Technical Report

Westmeath County Council is applied to the Environmental Protection Agency for a Waste Water Discharge Certificate of Authorisation for the existing Waste Water plant at Ballinalack, Co. Westmeath, National Grid Reference 234734E, and 264076N on 22nd June 2009. a correspondence reply was sent by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dated 7th April 2010 requesting additional information in relation to the Ballinalack agglomeration. The Agency further requested additional information under Regulation 24 of the Waste Water Discharge (Authorisation) Regulations 2007 in a letter dated 28th October 2010.

The Ballinalack waste water network comprises of a foul gravity sewer and the associated waste water treatment works. The waste water treatment plant (WWTP) consists of an inlet pumping chamber and two RBC treatment units. Each unit incorporates a primary settling chamber, rotating drum for mixing and aeration, final settlement area/clarifier and return sludge pump. Due to the low flows to the plant only one treatment unit is operational at the time of writhing. The WWTP was constructed by a private developer, but taken in charge by Westmeath County Council in 2007. Westmeath County Council is currently in the process of taking in charge the connected housing estate (Inis Glorá) including the sewer mains network. To date the WWTP only accepts sewerage flows from the Inis Glorá housing estate.

The waste water treatment plant is designed to collect and treat effluent from a population of 650pe. The plant currently accepts waste from a population equivalent of 124 with average daily flows of 40 cubic meters of treated effluent being discharged from the plant. The treatment works provides secondary treatment with for the effluent prior being disc harged For to inspection the Riverpurposes only.Inny. The treated effluent discharged Consent of copyright owner required for any other use. from the waste water treatment plant at the time of writhing the original certification application were average BOD concentrations of 2.3mg/l, COD concentration of 44mg/l, Total Nitrogen concentration of 14 mg/l N, Total Phosphorus concentration of 3 mg/l P and an average suspended solids concentration of 11 mg/l. Currently the treated effluent concentrations are as follows, average BOD concentrations of 16.6mg/l, COD concentration of 82mg/l, Total Nitrogen concentration of 16.1 mg/l N, Total Phosphorus concentration of 3.2 mg/l P and an average suspended solids concentration of 12.5 mg/l.

The Primary discharge for the plant flows directly into the at National Grid Reference (NGR) 234712E, 264102N in the of Cullenhugh, Ballynacarrigy, Co. Westmeath. There is no emergency overflow or storm water overflow facility located within the treatment plant site boundary. All discharges form the plants are directed through the outfall SW1. An emergency generator is located on site to provide an electricity supply in the event of a power outage.

Westmeath County Council as part of their monitoring point take samples for ortho- phosphate on the Receiving River course both at locations upstream and downstream of the discharge point SW1 and at the primary discharge point itself. There have been

3

EPA Export 26-07-2013:23:55:50 20 corresponding results for ortho-phosphate available dating from the period April 2008 to November 2008 at both the upstream and downstream monitoring points. Water quality upstream of the wastewater treatment plant is equivalent to a Q rating of 4-5(unpolluted) while the downstream median concentration also has a result of 0.02 mg/l P showing a similar Q value of 4-5.

There are two designated sites located within two kilometres of the waste water treatment site. These are Lough Iron (National Heritage Area & Special Preservation Area) and Lough Garr (National Heritage Area). Lough Garr lies to the North of the plant and incorporates an area of raised bogland that is increasingly becoming a rarity within Europe. Lough Iron is sited to the South of the plant and agglomeration area.

This designated site is an important Lough in terms of supporting a variety of wildlife and in the conservation of wild birds notably the Canadian White fronted Goose and the migratory Whooper Swan both listed as Annex 1 species. Following appropriate assessment screening in accordance with Waste Water Discharge Licencing – Appropriate Assessment and The DoEHLG Circular L8/08 – Protection of Natural Heritage and National Monuments it was deemed that there is no negative impact upon the SPA or upon any national monuments as a result of discharges from the Ballinalack agglomeration. It is deemed that discharges from the Ballinalack WWTP are not environmentally affecting both protected site.

Westmeath County Council carries out sampling and monitoring of the effluent discharged from the waste water treatment plant. The receiving water course is monitored upstream and downstream of the discharge point. The council also monitors the biological process, final effluent and sludge generated at the plant.

The Ballinalack Agglomeration boundary was revised on 12/11/2010 and the new boundary is shown in Drawing No.1, revision A. It is not envisaged that the existing boundary will not be extended before the review of any granted Certificate of Authorisation due to funding constraints. For inspection purposes only. Consent of copyright owner required for any other use.

4

EPA Export 26-07-2013:23:55:50