- As part of Science Week 2022, Irish Water opened its doors to 4th Year Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering Students of University College Cork.
34 students were given a guided tour of treatment plants in Midleton, Carrigtwohill and Inniscarra where they got to see first-hand the importance of science behind water and wastewater treatment.
Speaking about the tour, Regional Operations Manager for the South West Region, Ian O’Mahony said:
We are delighted to be taking part in Science Week again this year. Every day we treat around 1.7 billion litres of water and 1.6 billion litres of wastewater. As Ireland’s national, regulated water authority, we are responsible for providing water and wastewater services throughout the country.
The story of water and it’s remarkable journey from cloud to glass, and from drain to sea is an interesting and important one. Our scientists play a critical role in this journey, helping to ensure customers receive a clean, safe, and reliable supply of drinking water as well as ensuring that the wastewater that leaves our homes and businesses is collected, treated to a high standard so that it is safely returned to the environment.
Tours of our treatment plants, like these three provided by our colleagues in Cork County Council and EPS, are the most important part of Science Week for us and allow students to gain a better insight into the inner workings of our critical infrastructure as well as encouraging more students to get involved in the water industry.
Speaking after the final tour in Carrigtohill on Monday, Dr Joanne Mac Mahon, Lecturer in Environmental Engineering at UCC said:
We are very grateful to Irish Water, Cork County Council and EPS for facilitating these site visits. Being able to show the students the practical side of their learning is invaluable.
Our Environmental Engineering course covers a multitude including water and wastewater treatment, so it is really beneficial for students to see the inner workings of a fully operational treatment plant and how there is such a huge focus on energy efficiency and sustainability.
As part of Science Week, the students will also have the opportunity to hear Irish Water’s Sustainability expert, Charlie Coakley, talk about Irish Water’s commitment to improving energy efficiency and reducing their carbon footprint in the treatment of water and wastewater.
Speaking ahead of the lecture, Charlie said:
Treating wastewater requires a huge amount of energy. In fact, Irish Water is one of the largest energy users in the country. We are committed to becoming more sustainable and improving our energy efficiency year on year and have made significant progress on the journey to become an energy efficient, low carbon, sustainable water utility. We are currently working on embedding our Sustainability Strategy and developing a roadmap for Irish Water to be net zero carbon by 2040, 10 years ahead of Ireland’s target of 2050.
Irish Water is delighted to promote Science Week 2022 with colleagues from across the country sharing stories about their varied careers in the water industry and highlighting the size and scale of the work in safeguarding Ireland’s water and wastewater infrastructure for the future. For further information, please visit www.water.ie/scienceweek
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Notes
Science Week Science Week is a week-long event in Ireland each November, celebrating science in our everyday lives. Science Week includes a wide variety of events involving industry, colleges, schools, libraries, teachers, researchers and students throughout Ireland. Science Week has a number of regional festivals offering a range of opportunities for the public to engage with STEM in across Ireland. For more, please visit https://www.sfi.ie/engagement/science-week/
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