Regional Development Minister Michelle McIlveen was on site recently to see an innovative new £464,000 Integrated Constructed Wetland (ICW). The Castle Archdale site is the second ICW to be constructed by NI Water and represents an eco-friendly fully sustainable approach to wastewater treatment in the area.

The wetlands are designed, built and operated through human technology and are based on processes that occur naturally within indigenous wetlands providing an environment where the interaction of the wetland and the plants themselves clean the wastewater. The investment has seen the construction of a series of shallow treatment ponds which when planted will treat wastewater from the Castle Archdale area. While the ICW will be operational in March, it is anticipated that rapid plant growth will continue over the forthcoming spring and summer period.

Michelle McIlveen said: “Progress on this sustainable project is very impressive. This scheme is an excellent example of how the challenge of dealing with wastewater can be met using an innovative engineering approach which provides added benefits for, and complements, the local indigenous ecosystem.”

The new wetland can accommodate seasonal fluctuations in flow and is therefore ideally suited to the Castle Archdale area. The ICW method has an established record in Europe of providing a low cost, low energy and low maintenance alternative to mechanical wastewater treatment. NI Water believes that this natural environmentally-friendly solution will accommodate the future development needs of the Castle Archdale area, while promoting a natural ecosystem.

Dermott McCurdy, NI Water’s Head of Wastewater Capital Delivery added: “The new ICW will deliver improved wastewater treatment, whilst creating an aesthetically-pleasing area, rich in biodiversity, and potentially an educational resource.

“NI Water will continue to liaise with the local community throughout this programme of work and look forward to implementing this new approach to wastewater treatment in the area.”