Ballyhaunis Waste Water Treatment Plant - County Mayo, Ireland

Ballyhaunis Waste Water Treatment Plant is a municipal facility located in the Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District of County Mayo, Ireland. Serving a population of around 4,294, the plant is part of Ireland's wastewater infrastructure managed under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC). As a small agglomeration, the plant is expected to provide appropriate treatment to protect local water quality. Under the EU UWWTD, agglomerations with a population equivalent (PE) between 2,000 and 10,000 are required to have secondary treatment or equivalent. It operates within Ireland's national regulatory framework, which mandates compliance with the directive and is overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Treated effluent from the plant is discharged into the local catchment, which drains into the River Robe and eventually into Lough Mask, a large lake in the Corrib catchment. Lough Mask is an ecologically important water body that supports diverse aquatic life and is part of the wider Corrib system, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean via Galway Bay.

The plant discharges into the River Robe catchment, which flows into Lough Mask, a large lake in County Mayo. Lough Mask is part of the Corrib system, which ultimately drains into Galway Bay on the Atlantic coast. The lake supports a diverse range of aquatic species and is an important habitat for fish and birds. The surrounding watershed is predominantly rural, with agriculture being a key land use, making nutrient management critical for water quality.