Loch Coinneal :Water Treatment Plant.

Thursday 25 June 2009.

Today we got a bus up to the water treatment plant in Curramáille. This plant was built a few years ago to provide cleaner water for houses and schools on the Killeen Group Water Scheme. The water comes five kilometres down from Loch Coinneal in a big pipe. It enters the treatment unit to a system that separates the big dirt from the water. Next it goes to the big black tank outside. From there it enters into the big blue tank where it is filtered through layers of sand. There is another small tank just off that to collect any stray sand. From there it goes through the high pressured membranes where it is filtered more. Then a small amount of chlorine is added to kill off anything that’s left. We are lucky that our water is cleaned mainly by filtering and there are hardly any chemicals added. In other plants they must add a lot more chemicals to clean the water. Sean and Michelle held up a jar with water that was not treated and a jar with water that was treated and we could see the difference in colour straight away. The plant cost in the region of one million to build. It produces half a million pints of water every day. 
If there is a leak at a house or on a farm, the system come under great pressure and sometimes the membranes have to be shut down. They take a long time to get them up and running again. It is very important to report any leaks and to be very aware about saving water at home. We are working on our second green flag and we must save energy. Some of the ways to do this are: 

-turning off the tap when you don’t need it
-if you are washing the dishes, don’t keep the tap running
-have a shower instead of a bath
-don’t keep the tap running when you are brushing your teeth

The water committee and the plant staff gave us a picnic of orange, crisps and a bar. A man from the Mayo News took a picture of the staff, committee and the school. We thanked everybody involved and then we got the bus home. 

By: Dominic McGrail and Anthony Gibbons