Location: Ireland
Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Works is Dublin’s largest wastewater treatment facility, operating continuously and serving a significant proportion of the city’s population. McFarland Consulting Ltd were appointed to undertake a comprehensive condition assessment of structures within the primary and secondary treatment stages, all while maintaining live operations and minimising disruption to the treatment process.
The works were delivered under highly constrained conditions, with inspections and testing required over live effluent streams and temporary flow bypasses. MCL assembled and coordinated a multi-disciplinary team comprising experienced structural engineers, rope access technicians and confined space rescue personnel. Much of the concrete assessment, testing and sampling was undertaken while suspended from rope access systems and, where necessary, using self-contained breathing apparatus.
The scope of investigations included detailed visual inspections, non-destructive testing and intrusive sampling to characterise the condition and durability of the reinforced concrete structures. The programme was carefully phased to align with operational constraints, allowing investigations to proceed safely and efficiently without compromising treatment performance.
In total, condition assessments were completed to 25 individual structures within an 11-month period, delivered nearly nine months ahead of the original programme. The findings provided the site operator with a clear understanding of asset condition, deterioration mechanisms and remedial priorities, enabling informed planning of future maintenance and capital investment for this critical piece of national infrastructure.