Lough Talt Site Visit & Conference at ATU Sligo

Coftec is working with the Irish branch of CIWEM (The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management), Engineers Ireland, Irish Water and the Atlantic Technology University Sligo to organise a Lough Talt Site Visit & Conference at ATU Sligo on Friday 28th April 2023.

Coftec, in conjunction with CIWEM, Engineers Ireland, Irish Water, and ATU Sligo is organising a site visit to the Lough Talt Water Treatment Plant on Friday 30th April 2023. The visitors will enjoy a comprehensive tour of the plant and learn about some of the innovative solutions used in delivering critical infrastructure. There will be ample opportunities for questions throughout the tour which will be facilitated by members of the Coffey Design and Operations team who hold expert knowledge of the facility.

The morning site visit will be followed by an in-person conference at ATU Sligo where the discussions will focus on water and environment-related topics.

Itinerary

The itinerary for the visit and conference is shown below:

08:45 am – 09:00 am | Meet at the Atlantic Technical University, Sligo for refreshments

09:00 am – 09:15 am | Welcome and Introductions

09:15 am – 09:45 am | Introduction to Lough Talt from Coffey | Coftec

10:00 am – 10:45 am | Bus to Lough Talt

11:00 am – 12:00 pm | Lough Talt water treatment plant site visit with live Q&A

12:00 pm – 12:45 pm | Bus back to the Atlantic Technical University, Sligo

1:00 pm – 02:00 pm | Lunch and networking

2:00 pm – 05:00 pm | Conference

5:00 pm | Close

The Lough Talt Site Visit

The Lough Talt Water Treatment Plant (WTP) supplies drinking water to a population of approximately 13,000 people within Tobercurry, Ballymote, and the surrounding communities in Co. Sligo. Issues related to cryptosporidium and the formation of trihalomethanes (THM) were identified in 2017 and a Boil Water Notice had been issued for the area as a consequence. This situation led to the inclusion of the plant on the EPA’s Remedial Action List (RAL) and as a result, Irish Water earmarked the Lough Talt WTP for an urgent upgrade. Irish Water awarded the upgrade contract to Coffey in 2019 and the works were completed in late 2020.

The project included the design, construction, and commissioning of an 8MLD (Minimal Liquid Discharge) temporary WTP involving the installation of containerised process units including rapid gravity filters, UV disinfection, chlorine disinfection, and chloramination. Planning for the Lough Talt WTP was granted via the first ever successful application using the IROPI (Imperative Reasons of Overriding Public Interest) process, because of the site’s location within two Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) areas. Coffey had to implement significant environmental controls during the works and there was very limited scope for design variations.

The Conference at ATU Sligo

The Lough Talt site visit will be followed by a conference at the Atlantic Technological University, Sligo where delegates will hear from representatives from academia and industry on a range of topics related to water and the environment. There will be ample opportunities for networking throughout the course of the afternoon at the conference.

Speakers include:

Brian Deegan, PhD  | Asset Strategy Biodiversity Lead | Uisce Eireann

Aedín McAdams,  Research Student, Trinity College Dublin

Gerry Baker, PGeo, EurGeol, MSc, BA – Associate Hydrogeologist | ARUP

Des Joyce, B.Eng, C.Eng, MICE, FIEI, CMIWEM | Asset Planning Water

Dr Salem Gharbia PhD | Lecturer in water science and Principal Investigator | Atlantic Technical University (ATU) Sligo

Dr Eithne Davis PhD | Environmental Scientist and Researcher | Atlantic Technical University (ATU) Sligo

Please follow this link to register for the event – https://www.engineersireland.ie/Events/event/8649

This event is part of the CIWEM Pollution series and early registration is highly recommended as places are limited.

Please contact Darragh Hobbs at dhobbs@coftec.ie with any queries about the site tour and conference.

We look forward to welcoming you at the Lough Talt Site Visit & Conference at ATU Sligo on Friday 28th April 2023.