Ireland referred to EU court of justice over wastewater discharges

The European Commission has referred Ireland back to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to comply with a 2019 judgment on urban wastewater discharges.

In this judgment, Ireland was found to have breached the requirements of the urban waste water treatment directive (Council directive 91/271/EEC) in 28 instances.

Since the judgment, Ireland has made progress in resolving issues of compliance in 20 of the areas covered by the judgment, the Commission said.

“However, eight agglomerations remain in breach. In six agglomerations, Ireland has failed to ensure that overflows from urban waste water collecting systems are sufficiently controlled and appropriately treated,” it stated.

Ireland has failed to ensure that overflows from urban waste water collecting systems are sufficiently controlled

In two further instances, the Commission detailed that Ireland failed to ensure that the urban wastewater that enters the collecting systems are subject, before discharge, to secondary treatment or an equivalent treatment.

“Furthermore, in one [case], the urban wastewater is discharged to a sensitive area without being subject to a more stringent treatment,” it added.

The Commission sent Ireland a letter of formal notice on 14 November 2024.

“The Commission considers that efforts by the Irish authorities have, to date, been insufficient and is therefore referring Ireland to the Court of Justice of the European Union with a request to impose financial sanctions,” it said.

Public health

Untreated urban waste water can put human health at risk and pollute lakes, rivers, soil and coastal and groundwater, the Commission warned.

“The directive protects both water quality and human health by requiring that member states collect and treat their urban waste water before it is discharged into the environment.

“Under the directive, member states must have collecting systems for agglomerations with a population of 2,000 and more.

"Moreover, member states must apply secondary treatment to urban waste water before discharge and, in large agglomerations (population of 10,000 and more) which discharges in a zone sensitive to eutrophication, a more stringent treatment is required (removal of nitrates or phosphorus, which act as fertilisers),” it said.