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People may be forced to ‘break the law’ over sewage


DOOLIN people will be forced to break the law if the Government does not provide money for a new sewerage system in the village, councillors in the area have claimed.
Councillors in North Clare made the comments at a local area meeting after a letter from a senior engineer in Clare County Council outlined that a publicly funded sewerage scheme for Doolin is unlikely in the “foreseeable future”.
Sean Ward, senior engineer, water services, Clare County Council, was responding to a notice of motion submitted by Councillor Michael Kelly at a recent North Clare Area meeting.
“In view of the concentration of private houses and tourist businesses at Doolin, it is vital that a pumping system joined onto the Lisdoonvarna Sewerage Treatment Plant, is put in place by the council,” Councillor Kelly stated.
Mr Ward responded saying, “The Government’s 2006-2009 Water Services Investment Programme (WSIP) included a sewerage scheme for Doolin, bundled with a scheme for Ballyvaughan. The scheme envisaged a sewer network and a treatment plant in Doolin itself. Although work has reached a relatively advanced stage of planning, the Doolin-Ballyvaughan bundled sewerage scheme was excluded from the 2010-2012 WSIP.”
“As Clare County Council has no other sources of uncommitted funding at present, it is highly unlikely, in my opinion, that any sewerage scheme for Doolin can be funded from public monies in the foreseeable future,” he concluded.
Councillor Kelly said the issue had become “extremely contentious because of the septic tank regulations”.
“It will be practically impossible for people in Doolin to put in the systems because they don’t have the land and they cannot do it,” he said.
The Fianna Fáil councillor added it was “regrettable” a sewerage system was not put in place in Doolin “in the boom and now, a gun is to their heads and they cannot do it”.
The Tubber man called for a pumping system in Doolin to pump sewage from the area to the Lisdoonvarna Sewerage Treatment Plant which, he noted, “is under capacity”.
Councillor Joe Arkins described Councillor Kelly’s suggestion as “pragmatic” and “realistic” and called for it “to be investigated”.
Councillor Michael Hillery called on the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to fund a sewerage system for Doolin given that the council could not.
“Doolin has increased its commercial success and the draw it has. It has built up a tourist industry but they won’t be able to comply with the regulations because they don’t have the land and because of the soil or the type of soil in the area,” Councillor Hillery stated.
Councillor Michael Kelly agreed that the minister should be approached to fund a system for the North Clare village.
“If the Government doesn’t supply the money, they are putting Doolin people in the situation where they will have to break the law,” he claimed.

 

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