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IRISH WATER HAS pleaded guilty to breaking environmental laws following the discovery of sewage pollution at treatment plants in Dublin, Limerick, Galway and Cork.
The company, which is being prosecuted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court on to 11 charges under Waste Water Discharge (Authorisation) regulations. Irish Water had been prosecuted twice previously by the EPA and the court could hand down fines of up to €5,000 per offence, Judge John Brennan noted.
He adjourned the case for two weeks to consider what sanction he will impose.
Prosecuting solicitor Maeve Larkin said the EPA was proceeding with three charges in connection with a waste water treatment plant in Athenry, Galway. This facility takes in waste water for treatment and then discharges clean water into the Clarinbridge river.
It failed to complete required upgrades by the end of 2015 and had released water with excessive pollutants into the river and failed to report an incident. EPA inspector Una O’Callaghan said Irish Water had indicated to Irish Water that the required work to reduce ammonia and phosphorus in water had to be done by the third quarter of 2015.
Irish Water told the EPA it would comply by April 2016, then moved the date back to the second half of 2017 and Irish Water now says the upgrading work will not start until 2018 and is not expected to be completed until the following year.
Tests of the discharge showed excessive emissions of ammonia, which can kill fish, as well as phosphorus, which can be a risk to the aquatic environment, the court was told.
The EPA inspector agreed with Larkin that from July 20, 2105 until August 2016 there were 11 occasions when pollutant levels breached regulation limits. Judge John Brennan heard that ammonia levels varied between 10 and 73 times the limit. During the same period phosphorus levels were between four and 23 times the limit.
Irish Water failed to notify the EPA about a mechanical failure led to a breakdown at the plant on 4 May last year when 40% of the waste water taken in could not be treated.
The EPA inspector agreed with defence counsel Eoghan Cole that there was no risk to public health, fish kill at this site or need to carry out an acute clean-up. Due to lack of procedures in place staff did not notify the EPA, he said, adding that a training programme has been rolled out for them.
€5 million upgrade
Cole asked the court to note that Irish Water intend carry to out a €5m upgrade at the Athenry plant.
The next case involving four charges related to sewage overflowing at three waste water pump stations in Balbriggan, in north Co. Dublin last year. These led to a minor fish kill in a local river last May and Skerries beach being closed for the June bank holiday weekend last year.
The EPA learned about the beach closure from media reports and it had not been reported to them by Irish Water as required, said EPA inspector Brendan Kissane.
“Do not swim notices had to be put up”, he told the court.
On May 17 last, the Dublin Road pump station also overflowed onto the road and into the Bracken river resulting in five dead fish. Irish Water had taken over two of the pump stations from local authorities in 2014 but the third only became operational in 2015 when they were in control.
The EPA official agreed with Cole that Irish Water was co-operative.
Judge Brennan was told the next case related to two offences at a waste water treatment plant in Botherbue, in Cork. EPA inspector Patrick Chang said upgrade work was required by EPA to be completed by the end of 2014 but it is not going to happen until 2019. Discharges to the Brogeen River, which leads to a tributary of the Blackwater, contained pollutants which were a toxic to fish and could affect salmon reproduction. However, he agreed with defence counsel that there was not danger to public health and significant upgrades are planned.
Larkin said the last case related to two offences at Dromcolliher, Co. Limerick, at a 1940s built water treatment plant. The charges were for not commencing the first phase of urgently needed upgrade work by a Dec. 31, 2015 deadline and discharging water with excessive pollutants, said EPA inspector John Feehan. The first phase of the upgrades will not be completed until 2018, the court heard.
It is now trying to deal with seven times the amount of water it was designed to handle, the court heard.
Prior to Irish Water taking control of the facility in 2014 the Department of Environment had set aside the funds for the work.
Judge Brennan also noted that Irish Water was co-operative with the EPA and will pay prosecutions costs. The guilty plea meant a trial as long as a tribunal had been avoided, he remarked.
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The independence of the Environmental Protection Agency must be guarded from here on.
IW were never fit for purpose. I didn’t see their marketing machine out today, why? Well after years of trying to peddle absolute lies it’s no wonder. I don’t know where we go from here, but I have absolutely no faith in the greedies that run IW, or those that back them. If IW has to stay..all the cronies have to go.
IW is a fake corrupt company whose only purpose is to send out bills. They have absolutelt nothing to do with the actual.management of water. Anyone who willingly supports this fake company is frighteningly idiotic.
It’s grand we will pay the legal costs sure it’s not our money,
Fgs legacy
So now we have one state body legally challenging another state body (one with no real authority) and the taxpayers end up paying the legal costs of all involved.
Fine Gael really are a shambles of a party.
@Emmet O’Keeffe: absolutely agree – with a lot of the giving out that people are doing and wanting (correctly) the ownership of water in Ireland – there goes – we face prosecution and fines for failing to comply with environmental requirements. One could not write this type of fiasco in a fiction and have anyone believe it – but then this is Ireland.
(Four) if there’s heavy rain for a few days every plant runs to the river and no amount of money will change this Celtic tiger when they turned a blind eye when the builders connected storm lines into the sewage and they know this
If the plant is engineered correctly then the storm overflows are screened before discharge. Screening removes all the solids. With the amount of dilution from the heavy rain in the rivers then environmentally speaking, these overflows shouldn’t be a problem. Without these overflows all the storm water would enter the sewage plant and “wash out” the plant rendering it inoperable for weeks, meaning that no sewage can be treated for weeks.
However a lot of older plants don’t have storm overflows that were engineered correctly so you do get heavily diluted sewage entering our rivers. Still its better to have storm water diverted than breaking the sewage plant.
If only we had some sort of company that was ‘safeguarding our water for our future ™’
IW needs to die
Government guilty of sewage pollution.
For once not because of all the shite THEY spout.
Says it all really about another bankers tax… Just costing the tax payer as always.. People need to be arrested for the massive waste of money on this money grab gone wrong …
Irish Water is Polluted shame on them trying to make people pay for their shlt enough is enough!!
@Dan Henry: Have you ever considered it might be the lack of budget that leads to this type of incident, you alight as well blame someone in a 1990 hi ace for it blowing smoke.
@Paul Meade: they don’t mind spending their budget on Mercedes, bonuses, gyms ,. Should be more careful with their money. You’d have thought billion was enough for them. Greedy feckers
@Paul Meade: don’t worry Paul – after several years of terrible performance and intentional mismanagement the government will have a wonderful solution to intentionally engineered failure – privatisation. Another essential national asset sold to wealth funds. Get ready for cost of your water to explode.
It is a corrupt cesspit. An absolute failure of an attempt at corruption. FG are so thick, they can’t do anything right. Not even corruption.
After the headline I dropped out….it might be called IW but it’s not Irish Water. That belongs to the people and if others have managed to Fcuk it up in Ireland’s name well maybe the Taoiseach could explain how??
All the bogus money they took in and still not spending it in the right places
They never intended to spend it on anything to do with infrastructure. They are absolutely corrupt and need to be obliterated once amd for all. Then all the cheerleaders like that moron Alan Kelly need to be investigated as to what ties they had to this fake company and who benefitted crom this blatant corruption.
Irish Water a flag ship of incompetence. A testament to the sincerity of a politicians promise! The highpoint of FG, Lab, FF and Greens TDs careers. I look forward to rewarding these parties at the forthcoming election! Those who wish to reward their efforts must ensure to encourage all their friends and relatives not to vote past their third choice! Alan Kelly, Phil Hogan, Coveney etc all limped in on the tailcoats of transfers! Let’s put a halt to the party political gallop by only voting for those we wish to trust with power and punish those that have abused our trust with impunity, up to now! Roll on #GE2017
It won’t be 2017
Brian I think it will be! Despite the posturing and sham fights, there is a very real tension between FG and FF! All bets are off when Enda steps down from this lame duck defacto coalition. Michael Martin will not want Leo to bed in as leader and will be advised to pull the plug and capitalise on increased popularity!
Jarlath if I was a betting man I would take advantage of 7 / 1 on 2019. The popes coming and I think Enda wants to meet him.
I ain’t a betting man
@Jarlath Edna is not going to resign. He’s a dictator.
Stephen yes and if you build holding tanks the size of football fields it will still happen this lie they putting out they need to charge to stop this the next time there’s heavy rain go to your local plant and watch it run to the river or stream the plants aren’t able to cope because the storm water is connected
Yet the Indos headline today was ‘Water wasters to pay’
When will we say enough…
Did this ever happen while the local councils where in charge,
WWTP have been polluting for decades!
It’s only in the last few years the state has decided to put money into it,
It’s a case of letting the system fall to pieces and then try to fix it.
Governments never bothered their hole in putting money into water,
Let’s face it,building treatment plants that no one ever sees but use daily will never get votes.
But shinny new road,or shinny tax cuts get them their cozy jobs!
From the ammonia rivers to the phosphorus sea, Irish water will be free except for private wells and group schemes.
But at least we can hold the politicians accountable at the ballot box -
@brian boru: Especially simon coveney, who was dragged over the finish line on the 11th count last march despite being a government minister. Lets see how many votes his little hard man act on irish water win him in the upcoming election.
Barry Ryan. Water was never free.
Agree completely Ray.
@brian boru: All about getting da politicos and not about having an environment thats free
Teach a man to fish he’ll eat for a month
Give a man a fish he’ll eat for a day
Promise a man free fish and he’ll vote SF/AAA/FF
Your logic is idiotic Paul and shows a distinct break from reality.
Who made you the teacher ?
I already know how to fish but thanks.
A billion was blown on water meters that have no value and serve no purpose.
We could have eradicated sleeping on the streets in the state for good instead our elected officials choose to spend the money on something that has no value to the state.
If ever there was a case for treason….the politicians involved should be made defend their actions that led to the waste of the states funds.
Any demotions, disciplinary hearings for this incompetence. Bringing the ‘utility’ into disrepute. Doubt it. Ah f**k it I hear them say.
Does that include the fluoride they are adding to the watr?
On 17th of May, the Dublin road plant overflowed resulting in FIVE DEAD FISH. Outrage! Justice for the Dublin road 5!
If they used all the money spent on bonuses to fix the system it might make sense .
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