Updated: 11.30am
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.
Responding to the report Uisce Éireann said: “Uisce Éireann is making major strides in upgrading Ireland’s wastewater infrastructure, with record investment driving environmental protection and supporting sustainable development in communities across Ireland. Buncrana, Ballybofey, Stranorlar, Rathmullen, Milford, Coolatee, Kilmacrennan, Carrigart, and Mountcharles of some of the Donegal communities benefitting from Uisce Éireann’s investment in wastewater infrastructure across the country in 2024.
“The EPA’s Urban Wastewater Treatment Report for 2024 recognises this progress, while also highlighting areas that still need attention. Uisce Éireann is tackling these challenges head-on through a multi-billion-euro capital investment programme—the largest of its kind in the State’s history.”
The statement continued: “While issues can and do arise, Uisce Éireann acts quickly to fix them and prevent future problems. And in cases where bigger upgrades are needed, the investment is being made to build new plants or upgrade existing ones.
“In 2024 alone, Uisce Éireann invested over €481.4 million in wastewater infrastructure. This is an increase of almost €150m per year since 2020 and brings the total investment since then to over €2 billion. This substantial investment reflects the utility’s commitment to environmental compliance and public health.
“In Donegal this investment by Uisce Éireann will lead to improved wastewater treatment in a number of communities.
“In 2024, Uisce Éireann continued progressing with works on the Sewerage Scheme Network in Buncrana, Ballybofey and Stranorlar. This €31 million investment involves an upgrade to the wastewater network infrastructure in Buncrana and Ballybofey-Stranorlar, reducing the risk of sewer flooding and addressing non-compliant sewer overflows into Lough Swilly and the River Finn. It will also improve the capacity of the sewer network allowing for current and future population growth, and supporting the social and economic development of Buncrana, Ballybofey-Stranorlar and the surrounding area.
“Uisce Éireann is also progressing works on the €50m Ramelton, Milford and Rathmullan Sewerage Schemes. When completed, this project will end the unacceptable practice of discharging raw sewage into Leannan Estuary, Lough Swilly and Maggy’s Burn. This project will ensure that there is adequate treatment of wastewater, for now and into the future, as well as protecting human health and safeguarding the environment.
“Uisce Éireann has also completed construction of the new wastewater treatment plant and associated infrastructure for Coolatee to end the discharge of untreated wastewater into the Foyle and Deele Rivers. This project saw the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant to improve water quality and integrity of the local environment and increase capacity to facilitate growth and development.
“Meanwhile, wastewater infrastructure upgrades underway in Carrigart, Kilmacrennan, and Mountcharles, totalling almost €30m, will bring improvements in water quality and enable growth in all three villages. All three projects will also benefit the local environment, in particular the local waterways.”
Four villages of Donegal pumping out raw sewage was last modified: October 9th, 2025 by Staff Writer
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