Pictured at the launch of the €32m WEST (Water Enhancements through Sustainable Treatment) project at Finn Lough in Co. Fermanagh are L-R: Paul Sheridan, Director of Corporate Services, SEUPB; Tzvetelina Bogoina, Director of Infrastructure Delivery, NI Water and Sean Callery, Head of Infrastructure Delivery, Uisce Éireann.
The Water Enhancements through Sustainable Treatment (WEST) project, designed to address water pollution in Counties Fermanagh, Tyrone, Leitrim, Sligo, Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal through catchment modelling and sustainable wastewater treatment, has been officially launched at Finn Lough Resort on the shores of Lough Erne.
The €32 million WEST project is supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). It represents a dynamic cross-border initiative between NI Water and Uisce Éireann set up to improve water quality in Lough Erne, Lough Melvin, and Donegal Bay — areas within the North-Western International River Basin District affected by contaminants from agriculture, forestry, urban runoff and wastewater discharges.
Working collaboratively, NI Water and Uisce Éireann will identify where investment should be made to address pollution, regardless of origin. Outputs from the WEST project will include the development of two strategies and action plans using robust catchment modelling and innovative sustainable treatment solutions, for acceptance by environmental regulators on both sides of the border. In addition, the project will implement four low carbon capital wastewater treatment upgrades within Northern Ireland (Belleek and Garrison) and Ireland (Ballybay and Blacklion), to provide improved treatment for at least 5,000 people, with treatment capacity for an additional 1,000.
The project is being funded under the Water Quality Improvement Programme investment area of the PEACEPLUS programme. This enables a collaborative cross-border approach to the management and improvement of water quality to address the requirements of the Water Framework Directive in selected water bodies.
Minister for Infrastructure Liz Kimmins said: “Initiatives such as the WEST project showcase the benefits of building strong collaborative relationships across our island. I welcome the PEACEPLUS funding towards this project which is providing a cross-border approach to dealing with the issue of pollution.
“Through innovative new approaches and upgrades to wastewater treatment, the WEST project will bring benefits to our border communities by improving water quality in Lough Erne, Lough Melvin and Donegal Bay, as well as providing improved treatment for at least 5,000 people, with treatment capacity for an additional 1,000 in Belleek, Garrison, Ballybay and Blacklion."
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne TD said: “Cooperation is vital to ensure the protection and improvement of water quality across the region. The shared approach of this PEACEPLUS-funded project embodies what is needed to improve water quality in a sustainable manner. We welcome this project which includes the implementation of four low carbon wastewater treatment upgrades within the Republic of Ireland (Ballybay and Blacklion) and Northern Ireland (Belleek and Garrison).
“I am also delighted to see nature-based, low-energy sustainable wastewater treatment technologies. These are common in Europe but have not been trialled on this scale in Ireland before.”
SEUPB Chief Executive Gina McIntyre said: “WEST is underpinned by a strong collaborative approach and will introduce unique cross-border catchment models and strategies which, although common in Europe, have never before been trialled on this scale on the island of Ireland.
“Our natural environment is one of our most important assets and continued enhancement and protection is critical to future economic and social development. A clean, green and accessible environment makes a major contribution to people having long, active, healthy lives as well as creating a place where people want to live, visit and invest. With environmental pressures going beyond borders, this project considers the entire catchment as a single ecosystem, aiming to promote a greener, lower-carbon environment and decrease threats to local natural habitats.”
PEACEPLUS is co-funded by the European Union, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government of Ireland, and the Northern Ireland Executive.
Through the INTERREG VA programme – a predecessor of PEACEPLUS – a total of more than €55m investment was delivered on water quality improvement projects. These included the Catchment Care, System for Water Quality Monitoring (SWIM), Shared Waters Enhancement and Loughs Legacy (SWELL) and Source to Tap projects.
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