Written answers

Thursday, 11 November 2010

Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government

Water and Sewerage Schemes

6:00 pm

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 253: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the proposal for a design, build and operate sewerage scheme bundle at a location (details supplied); the progress that has been made on approving the clients representative brief for the first sewerage scheme; the progress that has been made on the associated foreshore and discharge licences for this sewerage scheme; the next stage for advancing this sewerage scheme; and the progress that has been made on advancing the other sewerage schemes. [42159/10]

Photo of John GormleyJohn Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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My Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2012, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library, includes a contract for waste water treatment plants and associated networks for the Belmullet, Foxford and Charlestown Sewerage Scheme to advance to construction during the period of the Programme at an estimated cost of €14.3 million.

My Department expects to issue its decision on Mayo County Council's design brief for the appointment of consultants to advance the procurement of the three wastewater treatment plants and associated works under a single Design Build Operate (DBO) contract before the end of the year. This decision will also assist the Council to determine the scale and scope of the works to be carried out on the collection systems at the three locations, and whether to incorporate those works into the DBO contract or to procure them under separate contracts.

I understand that the Council has already carried out some works required for the preparation of contract documents for the Foxford and Charlestown collection systems. A set of contract documents have already been developed for the Belmullet collection system by the Council and submitted to my Department as outlined in the reply to Question No. 214 of 4 November 2010. The parallel work on the design brief and the Council's decision on the procurement strategy for the overall scheme will have to be factored into my Department's consideration of this set of contract documents.

In addition, my Department's assessment of the Council's two foreshore licence applications for the Belmullet scheme is substantially complete but any decision on them must await the Environmental Protection Agency's decision on the Council's wastewater discharge licence application for the Belmullet plant. I understand that the Council has also applied to the Agency for wastewater discharge licences for the Foxford and Charlestown plants. As the discharge licences are matters to be dealt with between the Council and the Agency, further information on progress with those applications may be had from the Council.

In essence, Mayo County Council must await the grant of the foreshore and discharge licences before it can issue the certificate of completion of planning for the proposed contract and progress the appropriate contract documentation.

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