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•A model was developed and applied to a treated wastewater outfall in Belfast Lough.•Model predictions were verified in situ at multiple scales.•The model performs well in the area of interest under both neap and spring tides.•Model results and in situ observations show high dilution >100m from the outfall.•This provides a predictive tool for future studies in the area.
Wastewater outfalls provide a natural laboratory for the study of nutrient dynamics in coastal seas, however if properly designed and operated their impact can be difficult to detect. A model was developed and applied to investigate the effect of variation in hydrodynamic conditions on the transport and dilution of a treated wastewater plume in Belfast Lough, Northern Ireland. To validate these predictions we measured the physiochemical properties of the waters surrounding the outfall with a specific focus on inherent plume tracers likely to be relevant to the study of macroalgae (salinity, nitrogen and phosphorus). The model performed well and our data show high dilution of the plume, even under neap-tide conditions. This provides a spatially and temporally defined predictive framework for future studies investigating the compliance of Northern Ireland’s coastal waters with European Water Framework Directive objectives and for feasibility studies investigating macroalgal aquaculture near wastewater outfalls.