‘Chicken and egg’ as Milltown sewerage need raised again

A developer eyeing up a potential investment shied away from building in Milltown because the area still does not have its own sewerage treatment works.

However, it was unlikely that Irish Water would consider the village for investment until such time as the population could sustain it.

“It’s a chicken and egg,” said Independent Brendan Fay, reacting to yet another motion to discuss the need for investment in Milltown, which remains one of only a few villages in the county without its own waste water network.

The matter was discussed at the recent Cavan-Belturbet MD meeting where Fianna Fáil’s Áine Smith, like her late father Séan before, demanded answers on the subject.

She said the provision of sewerage network and treatment infrastructure was “essential” to the continued and future development of the village.

It had an expanding national school and local childcare, well used community facilities shop, pub/restaurant, and church.

Her motion was supported by fellow party colleague John Paul Feeley who acknowledged that an application for the Milltown Sewerage Scheme was previously under consideration by the department, after Cavan County Council lodged an application for funding with Minister Darragh O’Brien.

He also cited how Cavan County Council own land on which any proposed treatment plant would be build, debarring one significant potential obstacle.

In 2021 council members ordered that the provision of a wastewater treatment plant for Milltown be written into the then draft County Development Plan against the advice of executive planner.

On the cards for several years, a Milltown sewerage scheme was however stepped over in the list of priority projects when Irish Water was first established. Cllr Feeley said the village has remained in state of limbo since, and urged the council to keep “pushing and pushing”.

The council needed to be “serious about water quality”, and the need for a scheme in the village was one of the topics raised on the doorsteps when candidates went canvassing in Milltown.

A sewerage scheme for Milltown was “long overdue” stated Sinn Féin’s Damien Brady.

Cllr Fay felt to him the project was being “put on the long finger again”, and that it was a “chicken and egg” scenario

Meeting Chair, Patricia Walsh (FF) also backed the motion.

Responding to the councillors and their concerns Senior Area Engineer Paul Mulligan lamented how Milltown was not among the five schemes chosen by Irish Water back in December last year.

He said the council had submitted the scheme in Milltown for consideration, but stated that it appeared the focus of Irish Water was in area with populations of scale.

Cllr Smith asked that the council write to Irish Water highlighting the representations made.