Councillors call for sewage odour problem to be tackled

A SMELL that’s affecting people all over Shannon needs to be tackled.
That was the message at this week’s meeting of the town council.

Councillor Michael Fleming put forward a motion regarding the odour. “I am asking Shannon Town Council to sort out the problem that is causing the strong smell, mainly around the Ballycasey area,” he said.
He said he thought the smell was coming from the treatment plant in the area and asked that it be investigated.
A report from the council stated that the volume there is causing problems. “It is likely that the sewage odour experienced in the Ballycasey area of Shannon was caused by a blockage in the foul sewer pipe discharging into pump house 5A near the Carraig Lia housing estate. Occasionally, the volume of solid material discharging into this pumping station stalls the pumps and blocks the inlet pipe. To alleviate this particular problem, refurbishment works are now being carried out in pump house 14, located near Aidan Park traffic lights, which will reduce the loading on pump house 5A when the pump house is operational. Pump house 5A and its inlet pipe, where the sewage blockage occurred, have since been cleaned.”
However, Councillor Patricia McCarthy rejected the council’s claim that the problem was occasional. “It’s not occasional, it’s every day,” she said.
She also said that the council seems to wait until there is a blockage before they empty it.
Councillor Tony McMahon also said that the smell isn’t just an occasional inconvenience. “It isn’t a once in a while problem or something that’s confined to an area. There’s a terrible smell all over the town.”
He said that the council need to tackle the issue. “If the council have identified the problem, that’s great, but identifying it isn’t the same as solving it.”
He said that the sewage problem could potentially be dangerous, while he called for a proper solution to be found. “We know it’s not a once-off, it’s recurring and proper attention needs to be delivered.”
Mayor of Shannon, Seán McLoughlin, said that prompt action is needed to deal with a problem that is getting worse. “I’d hope it’s dealt with now and we don’t have to wait until next year. The smell is getting worse.”