Cork councillors seek meeting with Uisce Éireann over 'truly shocking' video of river sewage
For River Bandon Of Drinking That County A Heard File Of Minihane Number Towns A Cork The Water Public Source Picture: Denis Is Councillors
The sight of raw sewage pouring into another river in Co Cork — the latest into a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC) — has infuriated county councillors.
They have are writing to Environment Minister Eamon Ryan to complain about Uisce Éireann’s (UE) handling of its treatment plants in the region.
Fine Gael councillor Noel O’Donovan got standing orders suspended at a County Hall meeting to raise the issue of a verified video of sewage pouring out of the archaic treatment plant in Dunmanway into the River Bandon and straight into a designated SAC, which is in place to protect the EU-listed endangered freshwater pearl mussel.
Council management said they had immediately informed UE of the issue and are seeking an urgent update from the utility about what it is doing to rectify the problem.
“The video is truly, truly shocking,” Mr O’Donovan said. “It’s the Bandon River and an SAC with the freshwater pearl mussel. The Carbery Group is downstream and use water from the river. It has serious implications.”
He said in 2013 a treatment plant was built for the town, but since then doesn’t meet new standards introduced by the EU for discharges, is overcapacity and stifling future development in Dunmanway as well.
Fianna Fáil councillor Deirdre Kelly said she was shocked, claiming the utility had “completely shirked its responsibility”. Macroom-based Fine Gael councillor Ted Lucey and independent councillor Martin Coughlan also raised concerns about effluent discharges and foul smells coming from the sewerage plant in their town.
A cascade of complaints then followed from councillors in other areas. Fianna Fáil councillor Seamus McGrath said foul odours coming from the Shanbally treatment plant, near Ringaskiddy, have not been rectified by UE despite numerous complaints from the council.
His party colleague Sheila O’Callaghan said there are also serious issues with the overcapacity plant in Carrignavar and as a result no new development can happen there.
Independent councillor Finbarr Harrington said some farmers were blamed for poor water quality passing through their land and it may well be not their fault. He said in such instances like the Dunmanway and Macroom discharges, the authorities should revisit cases of lost derogation to see who is the real culprit.
Fianna Fáil councillor Gillian Coughlan wondered how many other discharges were occurring which were not captured on video, adding that the River Bandon is a source of public drinking water for a number of towns.
“We need to manage our watercourses from source to sea. It’s a public health issue and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) should be all over this,” she added.
Independent councillor Alan Coleman described the Dunmanway video as “very disturbing”. Mr McGrath and Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty also complained, yet again, about UE engagement with local elected representatives.
They said that around a year ago a quite large UE delegation came into County Hall and promised councillors far better communication on issues, but this had yet to materialise.
Council chief executive Moira Morrell said she had recently met with senior UE officials in an attempt to align growth identified in the local authority’s County Development Plan with what the utility can achieve.
She said she would contact its officials again to see if they could attend a council meeting to discuss the ongoing issues councillors have.