Council’s ability to comply with EU directive questioned

QUESTIONS have been raised over the ability of Clare County Council to comply with statutory requirements under an European Union Water Framework directive, due to the lack of national funding.
Clare County Councillor Christy Curtin questioned the wisdom of producing a detailed plan to improve surface and ground water throughout the county, without adequate information on the overall cost of the measures and the likely source of finance.
Councillor Curtin claimed at a recent joint Strategic Policy Committee meeting of Environment and Water Services and Planning, Land Use and Transportation that there is a sense of “déjà vu” as councillors are left with the option of adopting the plan or leaving the county manager to approve the blueprint with or without their consent.
“Clare County Council doesn’t have the funding to carry out this plan. Our performance is poor in relation to a water services investment programme due to the lack of national finance.
“I believe that a more realistic and flexible timeframe should have been allowed in relation to the implementation of this directive,” he added.
Committee chairman, Councillor Joe Arkins, said councillors could adopt the plan or decide to adopt it with a forewarning regarding resource issues and the need to provide grant assistance for any resident who has to upgrade their individual sceptic tank because of possible groundwater contamination.
Director of services David Timlin admitted the council would not meet all the targets set out in the directive by 2015.
However, he said this didn’t mean the council would not aim to meet its obligations and noted it depended more and more on national funding to carry out the necessary remedial works to improve surface and groundwater.
He told councillors the directive was the culmination of over 10 years of work that several council officials had been involved with, in previous reports concerning improving water quality in Lough Derg.
“There is no ambiguity any more in terms of what we are required to achieve. A lot of the requirements in the report are quite onerous.
“Even if we carried out all the actions required in the report, water quality may not be recovered  in time to meet the targets,” he said.
Councillor Brian Meaney expressed concern that a large number of septic tanks in the River Fergus catchment area are in high risk locations regarding the protection of water quality.
He asked the council to ascertain if some of these on-site wastewater treatment systems are located close to the source of the Drumcliffe supply providing water for the Ennis and Environs Water Supply.
He proposed a grants scheme be put in place prioritising the upgrading of septic tanks deemed to pose a risk to groundwater in this area.
A number of other councillors also supported the need to provide some grant assistance for any householder who is told by the council that their old wastewater treatment system has to be substantially improved.