Foul odours from Crusheen plant

Residents in Crusheen have been forced to turn up their noses because of the foul odours emanating from the village’s sewerage treatment plant.

And in calling for council action to tackle the problem, Councillor Michael Kelly complained that the foul odours are causing great distress to the residents of Clondrina and Clonmoney Grove, as well as the pupils and staff at the local national school.
Senior engineer Seán Ward admitted that the problem had been exacerbated by the need for new pumps in the pumping station and the replacement of blowers but said that measures had been taken recently to rectify the situation.
Mr Ward revealed that new pumps, costing over €10,000, were installed at the pumping station in Crusheen last November and that a vent would be installed at the pumping station and the timing of the pumps altered so as to reduce the build-up of sewerage between pumping cycles. Furthermore, blowers, which supply air to the new treatment plant, had burned out but were re-placed last month.
“These works in combination should alleviate any odour problems in the area,” he maintained.
Mr Ward noted that an old treatment plant serving the RHO houses in Crusheen was decommissioned in 2004 and the houses were connected to the new network laid by Galvin Construction. The pumping station at this plant was kept in operation and the school continued to use it.
“The school was given a new gravity connection in March 2009 and disconnected from the old pumping station. Shortly afterwards it was discovered that the school had a prefab with a toilet, still connected to the old pumping station and situated at the highest point of the system and was likely to be venting odours.
“If the school obtains planning permission for a crèche, the prefab is likely to be removed, thereby severing all connections between the school and the old system,” he explained.