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Borehole Drilling in Dublin Bay
January 6, 2011
This jack-up barge Excalibur has been spending the past month drilling 23 boreholes in the Bay on behalf of the Ringsend Waste Water Treatment programme, and has been quite visible from the shore.
Dublin City Council is undertaking an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) into expanding the wastewater treatment works at Ringsend to its ultimate capacity, in line with a recommendation in the Greater Dublin Strategic Drainage Study, 2005.
This will involve the construction of an alternative discharge point approximately 10 kilometres offshore due east of Dublin, which will meet with all EU and Irish discharge standards from the existing Works and from the proposed extension.
“This is the emerging preferred option in terms of less energy consumption, less chemical use, less sludge production and lower carbon footprint and also because the Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Works has limited capacity for expansion, due to space restrictions at the site. There is no ability to expand the Wastewater Treatment works boundaries”, says Pat Cronin, Executive Manager, Dublin City Council. “We are about to carry out a Site Investigations Contract to see if it is feasible to construct an alternative discharge point offshore. This option would ensure that the wastewater arriving at Ringsend will continue to receive a high level of treatment.” Full Dublin City Council press release from May 2010 is here.
The drilling rig is contracted from Fugro Seacore, specialists in undersea drilling. Notice to Mariners details the drilling locations.
Results from the boreholes will provide data on the location of the undersea discharge pipeline to sea, east of the Burford Bank.
(click the chart to enlarge)
Visit Marine Traffic to see where the barge is today.
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