Upgrade in the works for Graball Bay
Geraldine Fitzgerald
Scenic Graball Bay in Crosshaven will see a major watermains upgrade, including a new foul and storm drain, as part of a €1.35 million contract.
Currently, many houses dotted around the cliffs of the Cork beauty spot have septic tanks and soak ways, which discharge directly to groundwater.
Cork County Council has appointed contractor Priority Construction Ltd. to conduct works to install new sewers and to improve the local access road for the area.
The new gravity sewers will not only serve the existing western Graball Bay catchment but will also provide an opportunity for existing dwellings to connect to the sewer network.
“Graball Bay is home to a mix of over 150 full time and holiday homes which are served by a poor cul de sac access road, often subject to flooding,” said Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Danny Collins.
“The upgrade of this road and of underground services is much welcomed. The provision of a sewerage collection system will allow for decommissioning of individual existing problematic on-site sewerage treatment systems and reduce the risk of groundwater and surface water contamination.”
This contract represents the first phase of a larger plan to provide a complete sewerage collection network for the area, with a combination of gravity foul sewers and a pumped rising main, connecting to the existing sewer network serving Crosshaven.
It includes the installation of a separate surface water collection pipe on Graball Bay road and upgrade to the existing chamber and outfall at the end of Point Lane.
In conjunction with Irish Water, the current UPVC and cast-iron pipework, subject to frequent bursts, will be replaced.
Upon completion of the service installation, the Graball Bay road will be re- graded and surfaced with tarmacadam.
It was determined that the current narrow local access road will need to be closed to facilitate excavation and pipe installation.
In order to maintain emergency access at all times a temporary access road will be constructed for use during the construction phase of this project.
The proposed route for a temporary access road is across existing tillage lands to the south of Graball Bay road, linking it to Church Bay Road. It will then be removed on completion of the contract.
The project is funded by a combination of a Specific Improvement Grant from the Department of Transport, Irish Water mains replacement funding, and Cork County Council Capital funding.
Works are scheduled for 6 July and will take 6 months to complete.