Limerick pupils get hands dirty planting trees at wastewater treatment plant

OVER 6,000 trees are to be planted at Rathkeale wastewater treatment plant in Limerick as part of Úisce Éireann's biodiversity action plan.

Many hands make light work was the theme of the day as 4th and 5th class pupils from St Mary’s Boys National School, Abbeyfeale, gave Uisce Éireann a dig out with planting native trees at Rathkeale Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Members of Uisce Éireann’s South West Region Biodiversity Forum, staff from Green Belt Forestry, and Limerick City & County Council, greeted the students on a bright and frosty morning at the treatment plant last week to plant 20 trees in time for Christmas.

The pupils arrived on site ready to learn more about how wastewater is treated and safely returned into the River Deel, and about the Alder, Oak, Birch and Hazel trees that would soon be thriving in the area.

Uisce Éireann aims to plant 6,000 native trees at Rathkeale Wastewater Treatment Plant planted over the coming months where it will eventually become a wild habitat for Jay Birds and Red Squirrels.

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Speaking at the event, chair of Úisce Éireann’s South West Region Biodiversity Forum, Anna Brosnan, said: “There are smiles all round today. The boys from 4th and 5th class of St Mary’s in Abbeyfeale have been great today and we have all enjoyed their visit to Rathkeale Wastewater Treatment Plant. For children as young as them, it is inspiring to see how knowledgeable they are about biodiversity.”

The chairwoman was proud to unveil a plaque commemorating the initiative: “As part of today’s tree planting event, we have also erected a plaque near the boundary of the treatment plant marking the occasion. It is a wonderful thought that in 20 or 30 year’s time, these children might be walking the adjacent Greenway and look up to see the trees they planted when they were young.”

The children’s teacher, Julie Moloney, was delighted to see her pupils gain first hand experience with biodiversity: “Being a Green School is something we take pride in, and our pupils are very enthusiastic about it. A thriving natural environment helps provide us with food, quality drinking water and clean air.”