End of an era for Toome Wastewater Treatment Works
09 March 2011 16:08
Northern Ireland Water has called time on its old Toome Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW) (located on the bank of the River Bann across from the Eel Fishery) following the transfer of operations to its new state-of-the-art wastewater treatment works at Creagh.Treatment processes at the old Toome facility were switched off last week after all wastewater flows were successfully conveyed to the multi-million pound Creagh works, marking the end of an era for the wastewater works which has served the village of Toome since the 1960s.
Kieran Grant, NI Water senior project manager said: “The decommissioning of the old Toome Sewage Works marks a key milestone in NI Water’s £5m Toome/Creagh wastewater upgrade scheme. Tests carried out on the new Creagh WwTW have proved its capabilities to take on board all flows from Toome as part of a more efficient and effective treatment system.
“With the old Toome WwTW now out of service, NI Water has commenced a programme of restoration work at the site to create a more aesthetically-pleasing location. All of the above-ground structures are being taken down with the demolished building material being reused on site before extensive landscaping takes place. The site, where once the old Toome Wastewater Treatment Works sat prominently, will now house only an underground storm (rain) water storage tank and pumping station as well as an electrical kiosk which are needed to transfer wastewater flows from Toome to the new Creagh works.
Commenting on the wider improvements made by NI Water in the area, Mr Grant said: “In addition to the construction of the new Creagh treatment facility, NI Water has also refurbished five local pumping stations, upgraded existing pipelines and installed a host of new gravity sewers as part of this important £5m investment.
“We understand that projects of this size and nature can have an impact on the local community and in this regard, NI Water and our contractors Geda/Eimco JV, would like to thank most sincerely the residents and business people of Toome and Creagh for their patience and co-operation during all of this essential upgrade and pipelaying work.
“This new and refurbished infrastructure is delivering an improved level of service to the people in the locality; the standard of discharge has been enhanced to meet the latest European wastewater directives and industrial and domestic growth in the area will be accommodated by the new system until at least 2017.”