Thursday 5 November 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 29901Environmental offence (breach of operation licence) · Co. Kildare · 13 Mar 2019

Irish Water fined for breaching operation licence in Kildare

Between 13 and 22 March 2019, 13,800 cubic metres of raw sewage was discharged into the River Liffey from the Newhall Pumping Station in Co Kildare after pumps tripped and triggered emergency overflows. The downstream Leixlip abstraction point, which supplies drinking water to 600,000 people, was not warned on time about three of the four incidents. Irish Water pleaded guilty to six charges of breaching its operation licence, prosecuted by the Environmental Protection Agency. Judge Anthony Halpin at Dublin District Court fined Irish Water €7,000.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In courtnot reported
  5. Verdictnot reported
  6. Sentenced28 Sep
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
  • 13,800 cubic metres of raw sewage was discharged into the River Liffey from the Newhall Pumping Station in Co Kildare between 13 and 22 March 2019.
  • The discharge occurred as a result of an emergency overflow when the pumps tripped and stopped working.
  • The Leixlip abstraction point, which supplies drinking water to 600,000 people, was not warned on time about three of the four incidents.
Where
The Newhall Pumping Station is in Co Kildare and pumps sewage from Naas to a treatment plant in Osbertown, Co Kildare.
Cause
Defence counsel said human error resulted in the failure to warn the downstream plant.
Charges
Irish Water pleaded guilty to six charges of breaching its operation licence.
In court
The prosecution was brought by the Environmental Protection Agency at Dublin District Court.
Sentence
Judge Anthony Halpin fined Irish Water €7,000.
Other details
  • The plant was described as ageing infrastructure.
  • Irish Water had convictions from previous EPA prosecutions.
  • Irish Water put a new training regime in place afterwards.
14 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatSewage was discharged into the Liffey as a result of an emergency overflow (irishtimes.com)
  • what13,800 cubic metres of raw sewage was discharged into the river between 13 and 22 March 2019 (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe Leixlip abstraction point supplies drinking water to 600,000 people (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe Leixlip plant was not warned on time about three of the four incidents (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe alarm was not raised until a caretaker came into the Newhall plant hours after the discharges began (irishtimes.com)
  • whereThe Newhall Pumping Station is in Co Kildare (irishtimes.com)
  • whereThe plant pumps sewage from Naas to a treatment plant in Osbertown, Co Kildare (irishtimes.com)
  • causeDefence counsel said human error resulted in the failure to warn the downstream plant (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeIrish Water pleaded guilty to six charges of breaching its operation licence (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe prosecution was brought by the Environmental Protection Agency (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceJudge Anthony Halpin fined Irish Water €7,000 (irishtimes.com)
  • otherThe plant was described as ageing infrastructure (irishtimes.com)
  • otherIrish Water had convictions from previous EPA prosecutions (irishtimes.com)
  • otherIrish Water put a new training regime in place afterwards (irishtimes.com)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 28 Sep2021
    Sentencedirishtimes.com, first report
    Drinking water plant on Liffey not notified of raw sewage spillage, court hears

    Reports the sentencing of Irish Water at Dublin District Court for the March 2019 raw sewage discharge from Newhall Pumping Station into the River Liffey, including details of the failure to notify the downstream Leixlip drinking water plant.