‘I want clear timelines’ on West Mayo town's sewage scheme
The MUL application was originally submitted by Uisce Éireann in December 2024 to permit marine surveys in Newport Bay and Clew Bay
The very welcome news that a key regulatory licence has been secured for the long-delayed Newport Sewage Scheme has been welcomed by locals and public representatives.
Uisce Éireann has confirmed it has received a Maritime Usage Licence (MUL) — a development that local politicians and community groups are calling a watershed moment, even as frustration lingers over years of broken deadlines.
The Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) issued a preliminary "Minded to Determine" licence to Uisce Éireann on April 29. Following a two-week review period, the submission was formally accepted on May 13, 2026, with the final Maritime Usage Licence issued on Friday, May 15.
The licence is critical because without it, Uisce Éireann could not carry out the survey work needed to progress to the next stage of the project. It will allow the authority to conduct studies on Clew Bay to determine ocean currents and build a model for the treatment plant based on the data obtained.
Westport's Keira Keogh TD welcomed the development, describing it as "another important step in moving this critical project forward," while making clear she is not prepared to let momentum stall. She has written again to Uisce Éireann seeking an update on a hydrodynamic marine model study announced last July, which was designed in collaboration with the Marine Institute to identify potential outfall and treatment plant locations.
"We were told last summer that this study would allow Phase 2 of the project to commence, and that once the MUL was granted, it would be used to verify the researchers' findings," Deputy Keogh said.
She noted that in February, Uisce Éireann reported completion of an initial site options review — covering treatment plant sites, network routes and marine outfall locations — with technical evaluation now well advanced. "I want clear timelines on how long this verification process will take," she added.
Cormac Kelly of the Newport Business Association said the development was very significant. "Hopefully Uisce Éireann are ready to get to work, and there are no more hold-ups. They can get a treatment plant in Newport for 2030 as promised."
Uisce Éireann confirmed that work on the preliminary business case is ongoing, with a clearer update on the preferred approach for the scheme expected in Q3 of this year.
A problem decades in the making
The urgency of the situation is hard to overstate. The discharge of raw sewage from the Newport plant into Clew Bay was first highlighted by The Mayo News in 2016. Despite repeated commitments over the years, timelines for a new treatment plant have consistently not been met — originally promised for completion in 2023, then pushed to 2025, with the EPA now indicating a 2030 target, subject to significant caveats.
The licensing saga itself has added years of delay. In 2022, Uisce Éireann applied for a Foreshore Licence to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. When MARA was established in the second half of 2023, replacing the functions of the Foreshore Unit, Uisce Éireann had to withdraw its application and restart the entire process from the beginning — a bureaucratic setback that cost the project considerable time.
Deputy Keogh also acknowledged the role of the Newport Sewerage Concern Group, whose years of community campaigning have kept pressure on the project. "Their advocacy and constant representations have been a driving force in advancing this issue. They have always been respectful and courteous, despite frustration caused by repeated delays."