THE source of “foul smells” coming from the upgraded Clareabbey Wastewater Treatment Plant needs to be got to the bottom of, a meeting of local councillors has been told, while questions have been asked over the logging of complaints into the odours.

A meeting of the Ennis Municipal District was told just two complaints have been received about the odour issue, however this was disputed by Councillor Paul Murphy (FG) who said he was aware of many more.

Highlighting the ongoing issue Councillor Murphy in a motion had sought all data collated on reports made over “poor odours” by members of the public and management at the facility.

He also asked how the reports have been dealt with to date and how it is planned to manage them going forward.

Cyril Feeney, Senior Engineer, in his response said the Environment section of Clare County Council have received two complaints, in December 2023 and September 2024, “regarding possible odour issues at the Uisce Éireann WWTP at Clare Abbey”.

“The first complainant was advised to contact Uisce Éireann directly on 1800 278278. The second complaint which related to both water pollution and odour was investigated but no evidence of pollution or mal odour was detected on site.

“It is not possible to determine the exact course of any future action until the exact nature of the complaint is known. However all complaints will be followed up on as required.”

Councillor Murphy said there is “no doubt” more than two complaints have been made. “I’ve logged at least two since the upgrade of the plant,” he said, adding his complaints were made directly to the local representative support desk at Uisce Éireann.

“If they are not logged, there’s a major issue in how they are handling things,” he said.

He was also aware of complaints made by Clarecastle Tidy Towns representatives “on numerous occasions,” however he said he was unaware of what channel they used and he will make contact with them to find out.

He said that “we’ve got so many apps that can create a problem”, with some locals using the ‘See It, Say It’ app and “I think some of those reportings do seem to get lost.”

Using the Clareabbey walk and cycle way he has “experienced these odours first hand and they’re very unpleasant at the best of times. The wind direction may very well be a factor but that still doesn’t excuse it.”

“The odours are unpleasant and in this day and age where technology and science are second to none, this isn’t good enough and I think we need to get to the bottom of the problem”.

Councillor Tom O’Callaghan (FF) confirmed he too has logged a complaint and he has spoken with management at Uisce Éireann about the issue.

“Apparently, an upgrade has been done, but we are getting foul smells that suggest there is still a problem, so I think it’s worthy of investigation,” he said.

Commending the motion, Councillor Tommy Guilfoyle (SF) said, “If there is an issue with the reporting it’s nearly as serious as the issue [Councillor Murphy] is complaining about. If someone logs a complaint, that has to be documented and it has to be replied to.”

He said Uisce Éireann “need to come up better answers and better responses and we need Clare County Council’s director and executive to push harder for them to repari whatever is going wrong with the plant”.

Councillor Murphy questioned if this could be a matter for the Environmental Protection Agency, asking if they could be contacted. Mayor of Ennis Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy commented, “certainly it warrants further enquiry”.