2023:793 - Tirroddy WwTW, Donegal

It was proposed to construct a new greenfield waste water treatment plant (WwTP) at Tirroddy, Co Donegal. Ground preparation works were monitored, the results of which revealed that the area had been badly disturbed, prior to construction, by the planting of forestry. In addition to the disturbance caused by the planting, the roots of the trees, which were over 30 years old, had also caused significant disturbance. The associated pipeline, running from the new plant south to Ramelton Bay was also monitored, with nothing of archaeological interest note. The final element was the monitoring of the pipelines, all of which ran along existing roadways connecting Ramelton, Rathmullan and Milford WwTWs to the new Tirroddy plant. Directional drilling was employed as far as possible, but where ground conditions precluded this, through high levels of bedrock or other obstructions, open-cut trenching took place. Monitoring of these works revealed exposed bedrock, very stony natural subsoil. In the case of the road running north along the west side of Lough Swilly, significant depths of made ground were noted, imported into the area to raise the levels of the road. Nothing of archaeological interest was noted in this phase of the work.