Council urged to fast-track land purchase

GALWAY County Council has been requested to fast-track the purchase of land for the long-awaited €5.2 million Kinvara Sewerage Scheme.

Councillor Bridie Williers made the plea this week following a recent pledge by Galway County Council that it is trying to resolve this long-running saga.

 

She said she would like to see construction work beginning as quickly as possible to provide one of the most important pieces of infrastructure in the county.

The lack of a sewerage scheme has resulted in the discharge of over 60,000 gallons of untreated raw sewage into Kinvara Bay, which is one of the most picturesque locations in the country.

Councillor Peter Feeney has been continuously lobbying the county council to provide a new sewerage scheme, which has secured funding from the Department of the Environment.

Director of services Jim Cullen told a Galway County Council meeting on March 26 last that a site has been identified and the council will be approaching a landowner with a view to acquiring land by agreement.

Kinvara Community Council treasurer, Maria Hannigan outlined the urgency for an upgrade of the Kinvara Sewerage Treatment Plant at a Loughrea Electoral Area meeting on June 16, 2011. Following the granting of a foreshore licence, Ms Hannigan urged councillors to exert as much pressure as possible to bring this scheme to fruition.

Senior executive engineer Michael Dolly said Kinvara Sewerage Scheme is being dealt with as a high priority.

Fine Gael Deputy Ciarán Cannon made a pre-general election promise that he would not run for re-election if this plant wasn’t provided. Community Council chairman, Dominic Gallagher, said he felt that progress was being made following the publication of detailed maps outlining the use of old sewerage pipes for the new scheme.

Mr Gallagher was optimistic that the land acquisition may be resolved by the end of the year, which would facilitate the start of construction work next spring.

The council is planning to provide a new treatment plant, which will provide primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment to a municipal sewage plant and will discharge via a new primary discharge point to Kinvara Bay.

It is expected the new plant will be located to the north west of the town in the townland of Ballbranagan and will be designed for a population equivalent of 1,750, with provisions for upgrading at a future stage to a full design population equivalent of 2,552.

The Western Regional Fisheries Board has expressed concern to the EPA about possible shellfish contamination in its submission.

The Kinvara Community Council started lobbying for a sewerage treatment plant in 1997 and in June 2002, it lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission alleging that the Government was in breach of EU directives.

The EU told the group it was investigating the failure to maintain the quality of shellfish waters in 14 Irish locations, including Kinvara Bay, and the Irish Government assured them a “sewerage scheme has been approved for immediate construction at Kinvara”. The group stated in a submission to the EPA in March, 2009, showing this was untrue. After protracted discussions, the Government satisfied the commission it was dealing with the matter.

The council hadn’t responded to a number of Clare Champion queries at the time of going to press.