Four areas of Donegal are still discharging untreated raw sewage into local waterways due to a lack of water treatment plants.
These are Falcarragh, Moville, Ramelton and Rathmullan.
The EPA has warned that discharges contribute to significant pollution risks for rivers, coastal waters, and marine life.
Action plans will see improvements on the way soon for Ramelton and Rathmullan, but Falcarragh and Moville will have to wait until the end of the decade.
Milford, Ramelton and Rathmullan will share a new regional treatment plant, expected to be completed by Q3 2025.
Falcarrah’s new plant won’t be operational until 2030. Moville also fails EU wastewater treatment standards and is also expected to have a new plant by 2030.
The EPA’s Urban Wastewater Treatment in 2024 report, released today, lists 10 priority areas in Donegal in need of improvement works.
The urban areas of Kilmacrennan, Milford, Burnfoot and Bridgend were lists as needing further action.
In Kilmacrennan and Milford, the treatment plants have been upgraded but further action is needed to ensure consistent compliance with the effluent quality standards in the EPA licence.
In Bridgend and Burnfoot, there are significant pressure on waters at risk of pollution.
The EPA states that upgrade works must also be completed to address sewage overflows that contributed to poor bathing water quality classifications in 2024 at Lady’s Bay, Buncrana.
Donegal Town was also listed as a priority area needing infrastructural upgrades to protect shellfish.
Since the beginning of 2024, four Irish towns and villages that previously discharged raw sewage were connected to new treatment plants. These plants now treat wastewater from the equivalent of 25,000 people in Arklow, Co. Wicklow, Kilrush, Co. Clare, Omeath, Co. Louth and Coolatee, Co. Donegal.
Despite this progress, untreated sewage from around 20,000 people in 15 towns and villages continues to enter the environment every day because the sewers serving these areas are not yet connected to treatment plants. Uisce Éireann is implementing plans to resolve this.
“Uisce Éireann must accelerate the pace of delivery of essential upgrades at priority areas to ensure cleaner rivers, estuaries, lakes and coastal waters and support a healthier environment for all,” said Pat Byrne, Director of the EPA’s Office of Radiation Protection and Environmental Monitoring.
The Urban Wastewater Treatment in 2024 report and the list of priority areas – including details of the environmental issues at each location and Uisce Éireann’s plans to address them – are available on the EPA website.
Four villages of Donegal pumping out raw sewage was last modified: October 9th, 2025 by Staff Writer
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