Untreated sewage dumped into waterways at 43 locations

 

The Environmental Protection Agency has called for a substantial and sustained increase in investment in public waste water treatment infrastructure to protect public health and the environment on foot of substantial discharges of raw sewage last year.

The EPA's 2015 Urban Waste Water Treatment Report details a litany of failures and problems with sewage treatment all over the country.

Twenty-nine large towns and cities including Ringsend, Cork city, Cobh, Youghal, Enniscorthy, Arklow, Lahinch, Ennistymon, Clifden and many more failed to meet mandatory EU sewage standards, the deadline for which was ten years ago.

Untreated sewage is being dumped into the sea and rivers in 43 places, including Rush and Howth in Dublin, An Spideál and An Cheathrú Rua in Galway, Kilmore Quay in Wexford, ten locations in Cork, and 11 in Donegal.

The EPA says it is unacceptable that the timetable tackling the discharges from 20 of these areas has already slipped by almost two years. 

The agency says the current level of capital investment is simply not enough to tackle the infrastructural deficiencies and investment running €100m per year below the average spent between 2000 and 2011.

The report found that waste water from 45 areas was linked to river pollution and that sewage discharges contributed to poor quality bathing water at six popular beaches including Merrion Strand, Youghal Front Strand and Duncannon.

It also found that 16 waste water schemes require improvements to protect the critically endangered freshwater pearl mussel.

 

EPA programme manager David Flynn said an additional €100 million a year needs to be invested in waste water infrastructure.

He said there has been a legacy of "decades of under investment in the system".

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Flynn said that at least €280m to €300m a year, for the next five to seven years, needs to be invested.

He said that while enormous progress has been made since 2000, in comparison to the rest of Europe, Ireland is lagging behind.

Source: RTE News, Nov 24, 2016

Kevin Duffy to be new chair of Water Commission

It's all in the way you say it

Kevin Duffy new chairman Irish Water Commission appointed by Simon Coveney, July 7, 2016 following controversial resignation of Joe O'Toole

 

"A safe pair of hands and more importantly a safe pair of lips"  RTE's description of the news  that Minister Simon Coveney appointed Kevin Duffy as the new chairman of the Commission on Domestic Water Services on July 7, 2016.  This followed the controversial resignation of the former chairman Joe O'Toole on Wednesday..

Asked were people were happy with this appointment, RTE's reporter Martina Fitzgerald (see video below), ironically hit the nail on the head when she said

"Well, it depends what view one takes of the Commission. For those who are opposed to it's very existence, it really makes very little difference who is chairing it  But for those who are keeping an open on the issue he ticks a lot of boxes."

 

The former chairman of the Labour Court Kevin Duffy is to be appointed as the Chairman of the Expert Commission on Water Charges.

Subtle nuances in RTE reporting 

On the one hand we have  the 'hardliners', opposed to it's very existence and on the other  there are the 'open'  reasonable people who Ms Fitzgerald thought would see all the positive attributes that Mr Duffy possesses.  Ms Fitzgerald continued to list Mr Duffy's attributes.  

 

RTE News July 7, 2016

 

The Irish Mirror less subjective view

The Irish Mirror, July 7,  quoted the Minister Simon Coveney as describing Mr Duffy's positive attributes as  "He has a distinguished track record of public service and will bring to the commission’s work a wealth of experience in addressing complex, intractable issues.”

Responding to the appointment, Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Paul Murphy said they had no faith in the commission.  "Joe O’Toole gave the game away from the government’s perspective.

Fine Gael are determined to try to re-introduce water charges – they are seeking a pre-determined outcome from the Commission to try to achieve that. They want to then present this as the conclusion of an ‘expert’ panel.

However, O’Toole’s ‘straight talking’ let the cat out of the bag and now the Commission has no credibility in the eyes of the public because they know it’s a set-up."

Reference:   www.merrianstreet.ie, Irish Government New Services for details.