Fofanny Water Treatment Works Incident

04 April 2012 12:11

NI Water has been fined £4,000 for causing a pollution incident from Fofanny Water Treatment Works on or around 18 September 2009. The incident was linked to a mechanical malfunction at the site.

A spokesperson for NI Water explained, “A mechanical malfunction at the site resulted in water from wash water tanks reaching a critical level and discharging. Upon receiving an alarm at approximately 6:00am on 19 September, an NI Water employee was on site by approximately 7:00am. The employee immediately took manual control of the site and prevented further discharges. The water supply to customers was maintained and unaffected by this incident.

“Since the incident, NI Water has reviewed procedures and implemented new guidelines which will help prevent the discharge of dirty wash water and reduce the potential for pollution in the future. New technology has also been added as a safeguard which will enable the plant to automatically shut down if necessary.

“NI Water views the protection of the environment as a major priority and invests significant resources and measures to safeguard it. NI Water is the only public body in Northern Ireland to have earned International ISO 14001 status, an international standardisation awarded on the basis of a company’s environmental management system.”

NI Water co-operated fully with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency throughout the process.