NI Water boss says treatment of Culmore wastewater in Donegal an example of cross-border collaboration

At a briefing of the Stormont Infrastructure Committee Dr. Venning said NI Water currently has an agreement with Donegal County Council for treatment of wastewater in Donegal.

The Culmore Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW) on the Coney Road handles wastewater for approximately 150,000 people from Culmore and the surrounding areas.

The Culmore works are located only a few hundred metres from the Donegal border.

Foyle MLA Mark H. Durkan asked the NI Water boss if the utility firm collaborates with its counterparts in the South on capital projects in border areas.

“We do. In the north-west, we take waste from our Culmore water treatment works in Derry across the border to treat it. We have an arrangement with Donegal County Council for that.

"We meet counterparts in Irish Water to share learnings and best practice on how we do capital schemes or whatever. We face very similar challenges,” replied the NI Water boss.

Mr. Durkan asked if there was the potential to enhance collaboration.

“We have also had EU-funded schemes, for example on shared waterways such as Carlingford lough and in the Foyle area, where we have worked with Irish Water on the shared waters scheme. We do that as well,” said Dr. Venning, referring to the EU-funded Shared Waters Enhancement & Loughs Legacy (SWELL) project that is designed to improve the quality of water in Lough Foyle and Carlingford Lough through the upgrade of wastewater assets on both sides of the border.

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