More than half of Ireland’s wastewater treatment plants are failing to meet the treatment standards necessary to prevent pollution and protect the environment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s latest report has found.

Wastewater discharges continue to harm water quality in rivers, estuaries, lakes and coastal waters, the EPA said on Thursday.

The volume of raw sewage discharged daily into waterways has halved since early 2024 as investment in priority areas continues. However, 59% of licensed treatment plants fail to consistently meet required standards. Failures range from occasional, short-term breaches to persistent discharges of poorly treated sewage, the agency said.

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The main causes are inadequate infrastructure and poor operation and maintenance of treatment plants.

The EPA has identified 78 priority areas for improvements. Uisce Éireann has not yet started the works needed at half of these, the EPA said.

Fifteen towns and villages discharge raw sewage into waterways every day. Work is underway to connect six of these to treatment between 2025 and 2027, with the remaining nine scheduled to receive treatment by the end of the decade.

Since the start of 2024, wastewater from the equivalent of around 25,000 people has been connected to new treatment plants.

Noel Byrne, EPA programme manager, said: “Too many wastewater treatment plants are failing to meet licence standards due to poor management and maintenance practices. This is simply not good enough. When treatment plants break down or are not managed properly, our environment pays the price.

“The EPA has prosecuted Uisce Éireann on 28 occasions for failing to treat wastewater properly. Poor operational performance will not be tolerated by the EPA.”