Since the turn of the 20th century, wastewater from the capital and parts of counties Kildare and Meath has been treated at Ringsend before discharge into the sea. Despite improvements over the last century, including the construction of an advanced plant in 2005, the rapid growth of the population in the greater Dublin area and decades of underinvestment have led to capacity constraints, significant overflow issues, and high-profile sewage contamination of Dublin Bay in recent years. This has put Uisce Éireann, today’s custodians of the plant, in the firing line from environmental NGOs, local activists and swimming groups, as well…

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