Irish Water (IW) is under scrutiny once again following a stream of complaints about sewage overflowing in Shannon last year. A new “damning” report about environmental breaches concerning the Shannon Wastewater Treatment Plant and foul network has prompted renewed pressure on government to sanction an estimated €24 million for a major upgrade of the Shannon plant and foul network. The 2015 Annual Environmental Report for the Shannon Wastewater Treatment Plant outlined a steady flow of complaints about sewage overflows from January 16, 2015 to December 31 last. They included 11 complaints about sewage overflowing from a manhole, six into gardens, one onto a street and one through a wall. All the complaints related to blocked sewers, which required action to unblock manholes. In the case of sewage overflowing into one garden on January 29 last, a CCTV survey was undertaken and repair was scheduled in the first quarter of this year. One of 28 environmental complaints concerning blocks sewers in …
Read More »Councillors stump Tullyglass tree felling proposal
A PROPOSAL that all the trees at Tullyglass Hill be taken out in one fell swoop didn’t get much of a welcome at this week’s Shannon Municipal District meeting. The two members from the town, Sinn Féin’s Mike McKee and independent Gerry Flynn, were particularly against it, claiming that the job at Tullyvarraga Hill some years ago has meant that local people will oppose it. The meeting also heard a proposal for increasing the amount of open space at the town park by creating room by removing older trees, many of them behind the existing town hall. This was largely welcomed by the members. Speaking about this dimension, consultant Nicholas De Jong said the idea of the park works is to meet the recreational needs of the town going into the future and that the existing park area is restructured. He said many of the trees had been damaged last year, others have reached maturity and work is required. He …
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