Draft Cork Wastewater Strategy
The economic success of the Cork Metropolitan Area has led to significant growth in Cork City and surrounding areas. The National Planning Framework envisages that Cork will become the fastest growing region in Ireland with a projected 50% to 60% population increase up to 2040. As a result of this growth, the wastewater infrastructure is challenged to keep pace with the increased demand for new serviced land needed for housing, commercial developments and industry.
The Draft Cork Wastewater Strategy aims to deliver a sustainable drainage strategy that will protect public health, safeguard our environment and facilitate growth to 2080.
The Strategy
The Draft Cork Wastewater Strategy will consider the capacity of existing wastewater infrastructure and will identify options for upgrading and building new wastewater infrastructure up to 2080. The strategy will include an analysis of the existing wastewater infrastructure along with data gathering, population and economic growth assessments, strategic environmental assessment, consultation with interested stakeholders to identify medium and long-term solutions to the wastewater needs of the region. The strategy will be consistent with statutory obligations and regulatory drivers designed to meet both national and international environmental objectives outlined in the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Urban Wastewater Treatment Directives (UWWTD).
What is happening now?
The first round of consultation is open until 9 July 2024 and we are seeking feedback and comments on the Issues Paper, Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Scoping and Appropriate Assessment (AA) Screening Report. For more information, view the Draft Cork Wastewater Strategy information leaflet.
Study Area
The study area includes the Cork Metropolitan Area and Grenagh as presented in Figure 1. The Cork Metropolitan Area (CMA) is a major regional metropolitan area, identified as such in the National Planning Framework and in the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy.
The CMA includes Cork City, its suburbs and the towns and rural areas in the immediate hinterland of the City of Cork as a single integrated unit. The CMA covers 820km², and has a population of just over 307,500 as determined from the Census 2022, with the population projected to increase to 476,000 in 2040. The study area contains over 25 towns and villages in addition to the urban centre of Cork City.
The need for the study:
The Cork Metropolitan Area faces several challenges in relation to wastewater collection and treatment, including:
- Increase in population.
- Current compliance challenges at a number of wastewater treatment plants and sewerage networks in the study area.
- Wastewater treatment capacity requirements to deal with current and future loads from the Cork Metropolitan Area.
- Pressures on the receiving waters from wastewater discharges within the Cork Metropolitan Area.
- Effects of climate change.
How to Engage
We are now looking for your input to the Issues Paper, Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Scoping and Appropriate Assessment (AA) Screening Report through this public consultation, running from 15 May to 9 July 2024. As well as gathering feedback, the results of this public consultation will provide an insight into attitudes towards the strategy.
In order to assist stakeholders in making a submission as part of this consultation, we invite feedback on the following consultation questions; however, feedback is not limited to these questions.
To make a submission please send it to us by email or post by 9 July 2024.
Email: cws@water.ie
Post: Cork Wastewater Strategy, Uisce Éireann, PO Box 860, South City Delivery Office, Cork City
Next steps - Consultation 2
Following the conclusion of consultation 1, Uisce Éireann will review and consider feedback received from stakeholders. In 2025, the draft Cork Wastewater Strategy will be published, and an eight-week public consultation will be undertaken, before being reviewed and finalised in 2025.