Work aims to sort sewage problem at Sion football pitches

SION Swifts’ club development officer says he hopes all club members will be back training and playing on the Brae Field next summer, following a half a million pound upgrade Sion’s water and sewerage system.

A development costing £500,000 was started last week by NI Water, programme of work aimed at improving the wastewater infrastructure in Sion Mills.

The work involves the installation of a dedicated stormwater pipeline to remove storm (rain) water from the combined wastewater network. This investment will help to reduce the risk of out-of-sewer flooding in the area and provide some localised network capacity in the short term.

Sion Swifts development officer Stephen Canning remarked, “When we took our players onto the Brae Fields at the start of the summer, it was found that sewage was spilling out onto the top field and leaving the grass affected.

“As a result of the sewage, there was no way the club could conceivably bring any of our club members, either children or adults onto the pitch. This forced us to utilise other places for people to train and play which resulted in additional costs to those we already pay for use of the Brae Field.”

The club approached MP Órfhlaith Begley, who, alongside local Sinn Féin councillor Antaine O’Fearghail, pressed the statutory body to investigate. Following a site meeting, testing confirmed the sewage came from an NI Water pipe.

An NI Water spokesperson said, “NI Water, through contractor AG Wilson Civil Engineering, has commenced work in Sion Mills to install essential new infrastructure which will remove storm (rain) water from the combined wastewater network to reduce the risk of out-of-sewer flooding in the area and provide increased capacity in the network.”

To facilitate the section of pipelaying adjacent to Melmount Road, as well as the road crossings, a temporary lane closure will be required on Melmount Road between The Hawthorns and Daisy Park between the hours of 9.30am until 4.30pm each day from Monday.

Short lane closures will also be required within The Hawthorns and Daisy Park to facilitate connections to existing manholes.

The work on the roads is expected to be completed by Friday November 14.