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MORE than one million people are drinking tap water from public supplies on an official pollution "name-and-shame" dossier finally published yesterday.(April 2008)

The 339 public supplies listed -- many of which are identified as not removing deadly bugs properly, such as cryptosporidium -- provide drinking water to 1,260,541 people.

The damning list, affecting more than a quarter of the population, was finally published yesterday by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

By Sinead Hogan (Anglo Celt) March 2007

THE foul smell being emitted from the dump at Corranure was again the subject of discussion at the February meeting of Cavan County Council, and Director of Services Mr. Frank Gibbons has apologised on behalf of the Council to residents who have been affected by it. On this occasion, Cllr. T.P. Smith raised the issue stating that the odour has been ongoing for about a year, but particularly problematic in the past month. He stated that the smell spans a very large area including Butlersbridge, Castletara, Ballyhaise and Cavan, and that there are rumours abounding that it may be toxic.

Cllr. Madeline Argue called on the Council to clear the air, as people everywhere are asking what the problem is and if the gas that is escaping might be harmful. Cllr. Charlie Boylan pointed out that people from the locality where the dump is situated, including his own relatives, have been very tolerant and are seeking assurances that the Council is committed to rectifying the problem. His fellow Sinn Fein Cllr. Pauline McCauley had previously brought to light the fact that a concerned parent had brought her child home from attending Breffni College one morning such was her concern as to the nasty odour in the area. Cllr. C. Boylan stated that there are a lot of people sick in the area surrounding the dump. While he didn’t wish to scaremonger, people are concerned and rightly so, he said.

In response, Director of Services, Mr. Frank Gibbons, explained that with improvement works underway for the last month the smell has worsened, but the Council is committed to ensuring the landfill is operated to the highest standards. He stated that they have engaged consultants to deal with the issue and said he wished to acknowledge the problem and apologise to people in the area where it has impacted. Mr. Gibbons said that the gas in small quantities is “more irritating than a health hazard”, but said the unpleasant odour can cause nausea and headaches. He suggested that Councillors could arrange a visit to the site to inspect it. Cllr. C. Boylan agreed that they should take up the offer to satisfy themselves and reassure the people they represent

February 2007: Cork council officials still trying to close down illegal dumps.!

COUNCIL officials, aided by gardaí, have closed off a suspected illegal dump in Cork, which could contain tens of thousands of tonnes of waste. On foot of a warrant, Cork County Council environmental officers and a number of gardaí went into the site at Sarsfield’s Court, Glanmire, yesterday.

A council spokeswoman said the site covered a number of acres and while it mainly contained construction material, an initial inspection had also uncovered household waste. However, she said investigations were at an early stage and attempts to discover what was in the sub-soil were being hampered because much of the waste was lying on a steep slope and officials were concerned it may subside into the valley below.

The slope descends towards the River Glashaboy and it is feared that the waste could cause a water pollution problem, although council officials regularly monitor drinking water in the area and are confident it hasn’t been contaminated. It is expected that it may take several days, if not weeks, before they can ascertain the full extent of what is buried on the site.

The council said it obtained a warrant against Greenwood Skip Hire on January 24 last and had sent the company, operated by David Greenwood, several notices to desist, which were ignored.  Local residents had made a number of complaints about the site and it’s understood the council’s enforcement section had been monitoring the area for several days. "Another notice was presented to him (Mr Greenwood) in front of the gardaí yesterday for him to cease trading and not to continue to bury anything on the site. He has no permit to collect waste or to operate the site," the council spokeswoman said.

Mr Greenwood maintained he’d done nothing wrong and was just importing topsoil onto the site. He also said that no burning of waste had taken place on  the land, despite accusations to the contrary from the council and local residents.

"I have nothing to hide," Mr Greenwood added.  The council said it would vigorously pursue Greenwood Skip Hire in the courts under section 14 of the Waste Management Act (1996) which, on conviction, could lead to a fine of up to €15 million and/or 10 years in jail. The council said it hadn’t yet ascertained who owns the land.

"The last person mentioned on the land registry is deceased, so at present we can only initiate proceedings against the operator," the spokeswoman said.  Councillor John Gilroy, who lives close to the site, said he was "appalled" by what he saw.

"There must be tens of thousands of tonnes of waste there. Our main concern at present must be the protection of the River Glashaboy. I commend the council for taking this action," he said.

Seán O’Riordan

© Irish Examiner

Over 40 sewerage schemes awaiting funding.

A TOTAL of 44 waste water schemes approved in a 2005 Galway County Council budget never received funding, despite their absence putting pressure on their water situation.

Only one sewerage scheme in Headford, costing approximately €8.96m, ever progressed to the construction stage after gaining initial approval by the local authority in 2004.

Other schemes, including nine small schemes programmes, five rural towns and villages initiatives and 30 waste water schemes all due to start in 2005 and 2006 were never followed through.

Rural towns like Athenry, Barna, Clifden, Glenamaddy, Kilkieran, Clarenbridge and Dunmore are now suffering the consequences of a decision that one councillor says is a result of red tape and increased bureaucracy in the Department of Environment.

Local Fine Gael councillor Tom McHugh says he has been campaigning for his native area of Dunmore to get a sewerage scheme for over five years. "It's frustrating and it's affecting the water quality because impurities are continuing to go into the water," he said.

Patricia McDonagh

© Irish Independent

March 2006; Offaly Farm Silage Caused Deaths of Hundreds of Unique Fish

The silage effluent of an Offaly farmer caused the death of hundreds unique fish, a sitting of Roscrea District Court was told.

Before the court was John Standish, Leap Castle, Roscrea and a case was brought against him by the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board. He was fined €1,269 by Judge Mary martin. Standish pleaded guilt to the offence of permitting deleritorious matter to fall into the river on the 22 of June last.

The fish in question is the Croneen trout which is unique to the Birr area and is to be found nowhere else in Ireland or the world.

The river was the Carncor and the area affected by the effluent stretched for 3 kilometers.

An Officer for the Fisheries Board said significant infrastructural works on Strandish’s farm would have to be carried out to ensure that this wouldn’t happen again.

He said the Fisheries Board officers visited the farm again but no infrastructural works had been carried out.

The Officer said that on the 22^{nd of June he and a colleague had walked down to the River Carncor to a stretch of the river which is ‘a very significant spawning area for the Croneen’.}

‘We found hundreds of dead fish there and downriver, for a stretch of three kilometres, and many of the fish were in an advanced state of decay.

‘We traced the flow of silage effluent back to Mr. Standish’s farm. After he talked with us he then dug a hole beside the silage pit and the effluent that was flowing into the Carncor was redirected to this hole.’ The officer added, however that this hole would not serve as adequate infrastructural works.

The defending solicitor said this accident had occurred following a spell of inclement weather. ‘The inclement weather caused the blocking of a vital drain and therefore the silage flowed out and into the river.

The Fisheries Officer commented that this couldn’t be true because the dead fish in an advanced state of decay revealed that the silage effluent had been pouring into the river prior to the period of inclement weather.

Judge Mary Martin remarked that she was treating this matter in a very serious light . She was told the defendant had no previous convictions. She convicted and fined him the maximum fine of €1,269.

‘We all have a duty of care towards the environment’, commented the Judge, ‘and a duty to be extremely careful in what we do regarding the environment. We must preserve it so that future generations can enjoy it when we are all dead and gone’.

© Midland Tribune.

A MOTHER who will give birth to her ninth child in the next month is locked up in jail today for failing to pay an outstanding debt and litter fine.

Heavily pregnant Jean Kelly, of Clarina Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, Limerick went into Limerick Prison this week just after she returned from a sun holiday in Spain.

Ms Kelly, who is from the southside of Limerick city, is due to be released from the prison this weekend after she completes a five day prison sentence for an offence committed under the Litter Pollution Act last year.

It is believed she committed the offence in January 2006.

She also appeared before Limerick District Court after she failed to repay a credit union loan.

Littering is a public offence and automatically receives an on the spot fine of €125. This can be increased to a penalty of €3,000.

Ms Kelly presented herself at the gates of Limerick Prison on Monday after a committal warrant was issued in recent weeks.

When gardai contacted Ms Kelly in order to execute the warrant, she told them she would serve the jail sentence as it would eliminate her debt.

She has spent the entire week in prison with the 20 other female inmates of the jail. She is not eligible for early release as she must serve the full sentence for an unpaid debt.

Fianna Fail candidate for Limerick East, Councillor Noreen Ryan said the jailing of the mother of eight was inappropriate.

"The whole case brings to public attention the way the courts deal with the matter of financial debt and fines. The question I ask is it right to imprison a pregnant woman and take her way from her young family," asked Mrs Ryan.

Ms Ryan has called for "a Naomi Campbell New York style community service approach" to be taken here in such cases.

(Irish independent April 2007)

GALWAY may soon feel the environmental effects of its 'buy one, get one free' water bottle project as residents begin to dump empty five-litre containers on the side of the road in a bid to escape bin charges.

Bulky empty five litre and two litre containers, which have been left around the city in an attempt by residents to alleviate recycling bins already bulging at the seams, are adding to the growing litter crisis in the city, according to some local councillors.

"People are losing respect for the council as this crisis goes on," said independent councillor Catherine Connolly.

"They are cross about the size of these containers and may be inclined to dump them because the pay-by-weight system makes them pay to recycle them."

The Galway litter situation has spiralled out of control in recent years with over 563 cases of illegal dumping documented in 2006 and 257 cases documented for the first three months of this year.

"People are burning and dumping things," said Cllr Connolly.

E.U incredulity at environmental disasters in Ireland.

THE Government is due to be roundly condemned by the European Parliament for its failures to provide clean water and modern waste management and for deciding to locate the new M3 motorway so close to Tara.  The damning report on the country’s failures in relation to water, waste, pollution and transport will be discussed by MEPs next month and follows a three-day, fact-finding visit by MEPs to Ireland last month.

THE Government is due to be roundly condemned by the European Parliament for its failures to provide clean water and modern waste management and for deciding to locate the new M3 motorway so close to Tara.  The damning report on the country’s failures in relation to water, waste, pollution and transport will be discussed by MEPs next month and follows a three-day, fact-finding visit by MEPs to Ireland last month.  It expresses incredulity at many of the situations they found on foot of complaints from Irish citizens and says that the European Commission should investigate many of the failures.  The report is particularly critical of the decision to take the second best and cheaper option in siting the new M3 close to Tara. The first option would have meant larger compensation to landowners and residents.  “The delegation is perplexed by the choice of route and by the damage done to the integrity of the many sites in the Tara area and the Gabhra Valley, and why one of the largest M3 intersections precisely at this most vulnerable location in terms of Ireland’s national heritage, which destroys forever the intact archaeological landscape of the area,” the report says.  On the broader picture the delegation said they could not understand why the Irish authorities put so much emphasis on road infrastructure and so little on more sustainable rail network for passengers and freight.  They were equally perplexed about the water situation, including the outbreak of cryptosporidium in Galway earlier in the year.  “For a country which manifestly has no shortage of water, and is blessed with many beautiful rivers and lakes, it is nothing less than a remarkable anomaly and a great shame that Ireland should have such difficulty in ensuring the provision of ‘wholesome and clean’ water to so much of its population,” it says.  The group of MEPs, that precluded Irish members, also gave the thumbs down to the planned incinerator at Poolbeg and questioned if its siting close to residential areas was in compliance with EC directives. They also asked why it is being built at a time when incineration is being abandoned by many places in Europe, or at least relegated to the last possible waste disposal option.  Farmer Dan Brennan, whose cattle have been shrinking since 1990, was heavily supported in his claims that the CRH brick factory nearby is responsible for his herd’s serious disorder.  They suggested some further proofs, including post-mortem examinations, to help Mr Brennan bring a claim to the Irish courts. They also called for a more objective scientific assessment of the brick factory and the chemicals used in its production process.  If there was proof that the EU’s air pollution law was breached, they said the European Commission should take Ireland to the Court of Justice.  Any EU citizen can appeal to the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee if they believe EU legislation is being breached. The committee has no powers other than to highlight issues.

Ann Cahill© Irish Examiner 14.09.07

THE Government will be forced to clean up abandoned landfill sites around the country that are leaking into the groundwater and polluting it or face massive fines following a ruling from the European Court of Justice.(2007)

EU members are supposed to ensure that dangerous substances do not leak from waste and contaminate the groundwater from which most of the country’s drinking water comes.

But the court found that the Ballymurtagh landfill site in Co Wicklow has been leaching into the groundwater and the river Avoca nearby. The poisonous substances include mercury and cadmium from old batteries, which is cancer-causing This would not have happened had the site been properly lined but the authorities decided against this at the time on the basis that the river was already poisoned by heavy metals from a nearby disused mine.

 The case has wider implications however, according to Labour MEP, Proinsias De Rossa, because it proves the Government has not been complying with the Groundwater Directive.

“Should the commission in the future be presented with evidence of pollution of groundwater by landfills, it has the right to ask the court to impose substantial fines against Ireland, possibly amounting to tens of millions of euro,” he said.

The case should also force the Environmental Protection Agency to review the way it does its job as the court found it had breached the directive by granting a licence for the Ballymurtagh landfill in April 2001 without carrying out a full examination of the local environment first.

“The EPA must now review its procedures for licensing landfills on foot of this ruling,” said Mr De Rossa. The authorities were also found guilty of allowing septic tanks attached to commercial ventures to pollute groundwater in Wexford and endanger the lakes of Killarney. However the court said they were not shown enough evidence by the European Commission that septic tanks were contaminating drinking water around the country.

The commission says it may return to the court with fresh evidence such as the cryptosporium found in Galway during the summer and EPA reports that 57% of groundwater samples were contaminated with faecal coliforms.

Mr De Rossa said the minister for the environment could not take any comfort from the fact that the court turned down the commission’s claim that Ireland had not done enough to prevent groundwater pollution from commercial septic tanks.

“It should be bourne in mind that Ireland had not taken all possible steps to prevent such pollution. There is still clearly a need for the minister for environment to take further action on groundwater pollution from septic tanks,” he said.

The Department of the Environment, who has been fighting this case for the past five years, said they were studying the court decision.
Ann Cahill
(c) Irish Examiner 26.10.07