Allenwood and Rathangan Wastewater Treatment Failed To Meet European Union Standards

Friday, 10 October 2025 11:46

By Hannah Kelly

In total, 14 large towns and cities failed to meet EU standards set to protect the environment

Wastewater treatment in Allenwood and Rathangan failed to meet European Union standards, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's Urban Wastewater Treatment in 2024 report.

In total, 14 large towns and cities failed to meet EU standards set to protect the environment.

Nearly half of these, including the two Kildare towns, had complied in 2023.

The EPA highlighted the need to maintain treatment systems in optimum condition and stop compliant sites from becoming non-compliant.

The report also found that wastewater discharged from 59 per cent of Ireland’s existing treatment plants failed to consistently meet standards set in EPA licences to prevent pollution.

The main causes are inadequate infrastructure and poor operation and maintenance of treatment plants.

The EPA have said that Uisce Éireann must give priority to the areas where improvements are most needed and will bring the greatest benefits, but have not started works needed at the 78 priority areas for improvement identified by the EPA.

In a statement, Uisce Éireann said: "Uisce Éireann acknowledges the EPA’s concerns regarding operational incidents. We recognise that many of these challenges stem from the legacy condition of our assets, which in many cases lack the resilience required of a modern wastewater network. This is primarily due to decades of under-investment and the ageing nature of much of Ireland’s wastewater infrastructure which comprises over 1,000 treatment plants, 2,200 pumping stations, and 26,000km of network.

"To address this Uisce Éireann has implemented new organisational structures designed to strengthen operational oversight, improve incident response, and enhance long-term resilience. These changes ensure that we are better equipped to manage risks, respond to incidents, and deliver the high standards of service and environmental protection expected by the public and our regulators."