The Taoiseach, the Minister of the Environment, Mr Martin Cullen and the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Dermot Lacey, this morning attended the opening of a new waste-treatment plant in Dublin Bay.
The official switching on of the new €300 million system, one of the most advanced in the world, saw Mr Lacey take a dip in the water off Dublin Bay's South Wall to verify the water's cleanliness.
The plant will use an undersea sewage pipeline to link outflows from north Dublin and Howth via a pumping station at Sutton to Ringsend.
The plant will also offer the prospect of Blue Flag status for the beaches at Dollymount, Merrion and Sandymount strands.