Waterford Main Drainage Scheme

The Waterford Main Drainage Scheme was designed to take waste water from the area of Waterford, north of the River Suir, and from Waterford City south of the river, to a waste treatment plant at Springfield in south Kilkenny. Judith Carroll and Company was contracted to carry out monitoring for Contracts 1-5 between 2005 and 2008 at the site compounds, along the route of the pipelines and at pumping stations. The work consisted of monitoring of soil stripping along wayleave areas and monitoring of digging along roadways, as well as underwater monitoring where works took place along the river. Excavation of sites and features of archaeological interest found during monitoring also took place.

A small number of sites were found during this project. Perhaps the most interesting was the burnt mound or Fulacht Fiadh site at Ballymaclode on the south bank of the Suir river, east of Waterford City which was directly associated with two gold bracelets of Late Bronze Age type. One of the gold bracelets, which came to light during monitoring, was a complete example of a classical Late Bronze Age type with expanded terminals. It was found just under the topsoil resting on a burnt deposit.