NI Water has announced the completion of a £10m programme of work at Belfast Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW).
This major investment is the first phase in a continued programme of work at the plant, which will protect the environment, support development and aid economic growth in the city.
The extensive project saw the construction of two new treatment tanks at the Duncrue Road site – equivalent in volume to six Olympic-size swimming pools – to cope with current and short-term future wastewater requirements.
Welcoming the scheme, Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd said:
“This £10m scheme is an essential and welcome investment for Belfast Wastewater Treatment Works which plays a crucial role in treating wastewater safely. This will help to pave the way for building much needed homes, creating jobs and growing our economy.
“This project is one part of the Living With Water Programme (LWWP) which addresses how we can work together to deliver integrated sustainable solutions to protect against flooding, enhance the water environment and provide the increased capacity needed for economic growth.”
Mark Brownlee, Senior Project Manager at NI Water added:
“Due to constraints in investment over the past 20 years, many parts of the wastewater and drainage infrastructure serving greater Belfast are now having to operate at or over their original design capacity.
“The two new treatment tanks that have been completed here will provide much-needed additional secondary treatment capacity and augment the existing process to ensure that the discharge to Belfast Lough remains compliant with Northern Ireland Environment Agency standards. The new assets will also facilitate essential improvements within the associated sewerage networks and will enable maintenance works to be undertaken in the other treatment tanks at a future date.
“This significant investment by NI Water will ensure our key wastewater treatment works for Belfast remains compliant, in advance of the next phase of the main ‘Living With Water Programme’ commencing.”
Contained within a site area of around 180,000 square metres (almost 2 million square feet), Belfast WwTW was designed to treat a domestic and trade population equivalent of 290,000. The current works was built in 1991 to replace the original Victorian works which dates back to the early 1900s.
This phase of work was completed by Murphy Dawson-Wam JV, with McAdam Design providing project management support. The extended wastewater treatment works will now have the capability of accommodating a population equivalent of almost half a million people.
