Commenting on the report Mr. Gerard O’Leary, Programme Manager, in the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said:
“This level of performance is poor and needs to improve. In order to meet EU targets further investment in infrastructure is required and we need a step change in the operation and maintenance of these valuable assets.”
The report, the eighth in the series, is the first review of the operation of waste water treatment plants at 529 urban areas since they became subject to a new licensing regime being rolled out by the EPA.
According to the EPA, 46% of waste water treatment plants did not meet all waste water quality standards or EPA guidelines. Eleven large urban areas do not meet the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) requirement to have secondary treatment in place These include Bray and Ringaskiddy where the provision of treatment is now ten years overdue, Clifden, where the old plant is impacting on bathing water and Moville where discharges are causing serious pollution to the River Bredagh.
In addition, eight urban areas do not meet the UWWTD requirement to provide nutrient reduction in addition to secondary treatment for discharges to sensitive water areas by specified dates Areas affected include the cities of Cork, Dublin and Kilkenny.
The EPA said it expects that by 2015 the necessary treatment will be in place for the large urban centres – with the work to be completed by the relevant local authorities.
Commenting on the Report, Dara Lynott, Director, Office of Environmental Enforcement said:
“Meeting our EU targets will require substantial and sustained investment. However, the benefits of such investment extend beyond water quality, as clean water is a pre-requisite for our tourism, food, agriculture and manufacturing industries.”
Since the last report, there has been significant improvement in the monitoring of waste water treatment plants. In 2007, 112 plants did not take sufficient samples; this figure has reduced to 38 in the current report.
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for use in chlorine monitoring equipment after similar pumps were found less reliable. 
Welsh Water’s challenge to upgrade the sewage infrastructure within the £multi-million brownfield Swansea Waterfront re-development was facilitated with an innovative Hydro Vortex Drop™ shaft solution from Hydro International.
north-east of Kiev, the Ukrainian capital. The Berson UV systems disinfect effluent prior to its discharge into the Desna River. 
