SPECIAL REPORT: West Cork’s wastewater dilemma
You never know what you’re going to find way down west.
On this particular morning in Castletownbere, traffic gridlock is suddenly a real possibility. The reason is a fleet of around two dozen vintage motor cars, all German reg, all left-hand drive, slowly eking their way through the town’s narrow streets.
MGs and Mercs weren’t under consideration when the road was originally laid, but they eventually make their stately progress through the town on this sunny May day, just passing through. Yet there’s at least one local businessman, and probably plenty others too, who would like them to hang around.
Mark Golden is co-owner of the four-star Beara Coast Hotel, which is perched right at the water’s edge in the busy working harbour.
There are 16 rooms in the revamped hotel, which has been doing a decent trade since it came under new management in 2015, but there is only so many people you can fit into 16 rooms. Mark and company would like more, but there’s a reason why those plans are on hold — sewage.
A sitting of Dublin District Court last month, Irish Water heard that 64% of the town’s wastewater was untreated and carried by a pipe and discharged directly into the town’s harbour — a situation described as extraordinary by Judge John Brennan, who was presiding over the case.
EPA inspector Patrick Chan said he had lifted a manhole and could clearly see human waste travelling out into the harbour untreated. Ultimately it cost Irish Water, the defendant, €7,299 in fines and legal costs, with the judge allowing a two-year grace period in which to get work underway for the long-awaited €8m wastewater treatment plant for the town. All parties agreed that there was no negative microbiological impact and that all parties were working towards a solution.
It’s ensuring the solution happens sooner, rather than later, that exercises the mind of Mark Golden and many others in Castletownbere.
“This hotel has a treatment facility on site that we pay an actual fortune for that to treat our water,” he says.
“For us to expand, we can’t do that until Irish Water create and connect a main drainage system. It hinders us.
We have 16 rooms. We need 45 to 46 to make this building self-sufficient. We make it work. A lot of hotels have difficulties. We can’t do that [expand] until Irish Water comes down here and do what they are approved to do.
The signs behind the reception desk tell visitors that it is 10,166km to Hong Kong, 4,913 km to New York. Castletownbere can sometimes seem miles from anywhere else, and some local people believe that all too often in the past it has been in the peripheral vision of central government and even the local authority.
A native of north Cork but living in Castletownbere for the past three years, Mark has previous experience of dealing with Irish Water, given his role as president of the Chamber of Commerce in Youghal back in 2014 at the onset of works there. That was behind schedule as well, he says.
He recalls that at a meeting the idea of effectively closing down the east Cork town for the month of August 2014 was mooted, sparking consternation: “It was stopped by a hair’s breadth.”
It seems to be a different story this time out.
“When it comes to Irish Water and their remit, they are much more approachable and amenable than they were a few years ago,” he says.
The new local authority transportation plan for the town is on display in the hotel foyer. By all accounts, it is not a smash hit with everyone but according to Mark: “At least there is a foundation.”
The Irish Water plan was also recently unveiled and to Mark’s dismay, his hotel did not feature on it.
“I know that will be rectified afterwards,” he says with confidence.
“Having said that, take me [and the hotel] out of it. In the town effluent goes into the sea at certain points. It does not damage the marine life. This is a fishing harbour, a lot of the fish comes from way out at sea. Effluent does not affect it.
“Irish Water needs to come along and say they are going to start their process. There is going to be upheaval that will come with that.”
As for the EPA vs Irish Water case, Mark believes “it’s a bit cheeky”, but suggests that, if they didn’t take the cases, the EU might well bring Ireland to court by proxy for non-compliance with EU regulations.
“It’s catch 22, chicken and egg,” he says. “The EPA are doing their job to the best of their ability, Irish Water are doing their job to the best of their abilities.
“We had plenty of money years ago. It wasn’t spent as it should have been done and this is where we are.
It has to happen. It needs to happen, and it will happen. It will cause temporary chaos and annoy people but the end result will be worth it.
Mark has no concerns that the hotel will once again fall outside of the planned framework.
“This is a big employer in a small town,” he says. “I commend Irish Water for what they are nowadays. They came in as a company that was vilified. The mistake, probably, was trying to sell Irish Water as the saviour of some areas. In actual fact Irish Water was only doing what should have been done decades ago. How is Irish Water to survive if nobody pays for water? The only investment made in this country is when things break.
“All local towns are the same, all in exactly the same boat. This is a beautiful part of the country with great people that work hard. Everybody weighs in behind everybody. There is great honour and respect down here. Irish Water have a big job to do. They will come in to a small and narrow town. they will create upheaval, but it’s necessary and a resilient town will survive. The end results will be worth it.”
‘An ongoing saga’
Donal Kelly, who owns and runs the Fast Fish processing company and who is also a director at the Beara Coast Hotel, is from 20km out the road and has been in the town since 1973.
“It has been a topic every year since,” he says. “The sewer, the sewer, the sewer.
“It is recognised by all and sundry how important it is but the importance is not bringing it as a topic up the list.”
He says Cork County Council had an open day some years ago, before Irish Water was on the scene, and presented two choices for the wastewater station — where it is now going to be located or on Dinish Island.
“The plans were well advanced, then lo and behold, Irish Water come along and say: ‘We are doing our own plan.’ That was a major delaying factor.”
Cian Murphy, chairman of the Castletownbere Development association, has assiduously catalogued all the various delays that led the project to stagnate for so long. It’s certainly strange looking at answers to parliamentary questions in the Dáil in 1992, 1994 and 1995, mostly giving the impression that work might get underway in the near future, resources permitting.
At least three times in the mid-90s, the minister responsible at the time, Labour’s Brendan Howlin, used the sentence: “Given the high level of commitments under the water and sewerage programme, I cannot say when it may be possible to approve them.”
Not long afterwards, when Noel Dempsey was in the ministerial chair, he used the same formula of words on another three occasions. In October 1999, the issue was firmed up.
“Contract documents for this scheme have recently been submitted to my Department and are currently being technically examined,” said Mr Dempsey. “
The scheme has been approved for funding under the rural towns and villages initiative announced in this year’s budget.
Faraway, so close. A year later, the same minister: “This scheme has been approved for funding under the rural towns and villages initiative. Updated design proposals are currently awaited by my Department from Cork County Council.”
No dice.
Almost another year later, in October 2001: “This scheme has been approved for funding under the rural town and villages initiative, at an estimated cost of £3.6m. Revised contract documents are currently awaited by my Department from Cork County Council.”
Fast-forward to February 2003, and minister Martin Cullen said: “The Castletownbere sewerage scheme has been approved for funding in my Department’s Water Services Investment Programme 2002-2004 under the rural towns and villages initiative. The estimated cost of the scheme is €4.5m. My department is awaiting the submission by Cork County Council of revised Contract Documents for the scheme.”
In October 2004, minister Dick Roche said: “Further progress with the scheme is contingent on the outcome of ongoing discussions between Cork County Council and the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources to determine the most appropriate location for the wastewater treatment plant.”
By December 2008, it was being referred to in the Oireachtas as “an ongoing saga”. Minister of state at the Department of the Environment, Heritage, and Local Government, Michael Kitt, elaborated a little: “The scheme has been approved for funding under the rural towns and villages initiative of my Department’s Water Services Investment Programme 2007-2009 at an estimated cost of €5.2m.
“At present, my department is awaiting submission by Cork County Council of the preliminary report for the scheme. I understand this will set out the design parameters and objectives of the scheme and that the council expects to provide it to my Department by mid-2009.”
In February 2009, Environment Minister John Gormley said: “My department is awaiting submission of Cork County Council’s Preliminary Report for the scheme and has not received any claim for recoupment of related expenditure from the council.”
Then came the economic crash, yet by December 2013 a meeting of the Western Committee of Cork County Council was informed that the EPA had said the plant must be completed and secondary discharges must cease by December 31, 2015, and that this timeframe had been impressed upon Irish Water.
Now, after all that and the recent court case, the date is set for 2021.
“Hopefully now this time it is going to happen, but people are rightly skeptical that it will,” says Donal. “From my perspective, it has to happen.”
Cian believes the problem boils down to Castletownbere not being “future-proof” until the plan is delivered, while Donal says: “Castletownbere is saturated until that bit of infrastructure is done — it will not grow any more. The key to it is the sewer.”
Take the town transportation plan that is on display in the foyer of the Beara Hotel. That involves revamping some of the townscape, and any individual building looking at upgrading its own appearance also has to bear in mind that any work carried out involving cement, bricks and mortar could then be subject to subsequent upheaval when the main drainage scheme is carried out.
It’s cart-before-the-horse — the idea that aesthetic works can’t be done until the pipes for the unpleasant stuff are laid. Donal believes the level of dialogue between the local authority and Irish Water regarding their respective plans — and how they might overlap — needs to improve, although Irish Water said there would be a high level of communication between it and Cork County Council.
The local authority said it has been “in dialogue regarding the placement of watermains, sewer lines and pumping stations in Castletownbere, with subsequent relocations of proposed Irish Water infrastructure”.
Cork County Council engaged AECOM Consulting Engineers to carry out a transportation study for Castletownbere and produce a Transportation Strategy taking into account projected growth to 2036.
A first draft of this strategy was presented to the elected members on March 20 last and made available to the public on April 10 in the Beara Coast Hotel. Public submissions regarding the First Draft of the Strategy were received up to May 25 and Cork County Council said AECOM is now collating the 220 submissions it received.
All submissions will be considered with amendments to be made to the strategy, where practical, a council spokesperson said.
“Given that the strategy is subject to change and final acceptance by the elected member no costings have been made, and given that any works will be subject to funding no timeframe has been suggested,” they added.
The spokesperson also said there should be no reason for any complications between its plan and the works to be carried out by Irish Water.
“Currently, Irish Water is replacing substantial sections of the water network in Castletownbere,” said the council spokesperson. “Proposals for waste water infrastructure are programmed to be submitted for planning permission in late 2018/early 2019 with a view to having all works completed by 2021.
“No proposed works associated with the transportation strategy, will take place at locations where Irish Water will be carrying out construction works. In any event any works associated with the final version of the transportation strategy are subject to funding.”
Waste water treatment plant
Meanwhile, according to the EPA: “Castletownbere still does not have any wastewater treatment for 64% of the town’s wastewater, whilst the other 36% only receives primary treatment via a series of septic tanks. This town will require a new waste water treatment plant to take all the wastewater from this town and the provision of a new outfall pipe to bring the discharge further out into the Bay.
Irish Water has informed the EPA that the project is currently at the assessment and planning stage with an estimate that works will begin in 2020 and should be completed by June 2021.
The EPA case against Irish Water regarding Castletownebere last month was not the first prosecution it had brought against the utility. On the same day in Dublin, the EPA brought forward a prosecution over Irish Water’s failure to carry out improvements at Castletownshend in Co Cork and at Kilfenora in the Burren, Co Clare.
In all, the EPA has brought six prosecutions against Irish Water for failure to provide treatment at coastal locations and all of these resulted in convictions, with the costliest being that involving Kilmore Quay, although the fines and costs in that cases amounted to a relatively modest €8,271. It seems the legal tussles may be over.
According to an EPA spokesperson: “The EPA has no current open legal actions against Irish Water.”
Nevertheless, the EPA said it would be continuing its enforcement efforts in priority areas, with its 2016 wastewater report identifying 148 priority areas where action was required “to protect our environment from the harmful effects of wastewater.” According to the spokesperson: “The EPA will continue to prioritise these areas until the issues are resolved.”
As for Irish Water, of the 12 prosecutions against it that were in train as of February, six were in relation to drinking water and the other six were wastewater-related.
Four of the six drinking water prosecutions were withdrawn and convictions were recorded in respect of the other two, alongside the convictions recorded in each of the six wastewater prosecutions.
It has been much maligned since it came into being in 2014, but according to Cian Murphy and Mark Golden, the utility’s representatives have been both amenable and accommodating to local opinion in Castletownbere.
Over in Castletownshend, the beautiful seaside village 9km from Skibbereen, Irish Water is also getting some good press, though it wasn’t always this way.
Last month, the same sitting of Dublin District Court heard that sewage was discharged directly into the sea at a nearby beach in Castletownshend, with Judge Brennan shown photos of the beach, including one where children could be seen playing just 50m from a culvert carrying the sewage into the sea.
The court was told “white pieces of toilet paper and brown matter” could be seen in one photo, with Judge Brennan saying it was a “grave concern” that raw sewage was discharged into the amenity and that it was a tourist location and also used by children.
The fines and costs in that case amounted to €8,230 and, ahead of the case last February, community campaigner and Castletownshend local George Salter-Townshend told the Irish Examiner the situation represented “a systemic failure of local and national government”.
As always seems the case, there had been missed opportunities previously. George said he supported a proposal for a wastewater treatment facility at the turn of the millennium, as part of a wider development, which ultimately did not proceed.
According to Irish Water: “Castletownbere and Castletownshend are among five towns and villages in Co Cork where untreated sewerage is currently discharged to receiving waters, either directly from sewer network outfalls or via septic holding tanks where the level of treatment provided is inadequate. [The other locations are Ballycotton, Inchigeelagh and Whitegate/Aghada.]
“The Castletownshend sewerage scheme is needed to stop untreated wastewater being discharged directly into Castlehaven harbour. At present, the equivalent of over 400 wheelie bins of raw sewage is being discharged into the harbour every day.
“This practice is no longer acceptable and Irish Water intends to rectify this problem in conjunction with Cork County Council by constructing a new Wastewater Treatment Plant and network infrastructure to ensure that wastewater discharging to Castlehaven meets appropriate discharge standards.
“Irish Water will submit its planning application to Cork County Council this year or early 2019. Subject to statutory approvals construction work on this necessary project will commence in 2020 and completion in 2021.”
It’s the setting of the timeline that has tilted George’s perception of Irish Water. As he explains, there are four points of access to the sea in the area, and while he believes it may be 2022 by the time the works are completed, at one point he had wondered if the plan would ever proceed in his lifetime.
He says now that Irish Water was handed “a poisoned chalice” when it inherited responsibility for areas that had seen the need for wastewater treatment facilities neglected for decades.
To highlight the action now underway he refers to a meeting, held just the night previous, at which nine Irish Water representatives were present to provide information to locals about the outline of the plan and its likely timeframe.
“It was very impressive,” he says. “They have come up trumps.”
Cork County Council said the draft layout of the proposed IW works in Castletownshend will follow the same programme as the Castletownbere Works and the only excavation in public roads will be the short section between the pier and the proposed pump station at The Castle and the rising main which will be laid in the laneway towards the graveyard.
The aim of Irish Water is to have a treatment plant in operation in Castletownshend in 2021 at a cost of €4m and George believes any planning permission requirements should be a given and enthuses about the plan on the table, as it will facilitate the necessary infrastructure but make little or no difference to the existing visuals around the village.
His only worry is that central government will provide the resources — not just for the facility in Castletownshend, but anywhere else that needs similar work.
“I would worry that a great deal of money would have to be raised to do the rest of the Irish coastline,” he says.
[quoteIt must be at least 80 years ago that Jacques Cousteau said: ‘When the sea dies, we will die.’[/quote]
The elephant in the room is the cash needed to pay for all of this. It does seem extraordinary that a town is still operating with facilities first installed more than a century ago, yet the Irish Water budget must be different now compared with what was envisaged when it first came into being, thanks to the ill-starred water charges debacle.
“We do not pay for water in this country,” Mark says. “There is an inherent lack of funding.”
“There is no such thing as a free lunch,” says Donal. “If people think the water is in crisis all over the country and it will be done for free or by tax they are dreaming.”
As for the kind of day-to-day difficulties all these works can wreak in a town, from potential traffic issues to the effect on footfall, Donal says it is imperative to take the longer view.
“You can’t make an omelette without breaking an egg,” he says.
“Some people will jump up and down about it but will say it is great when it’s done.”
Cian says intensive lobbying of politicians began more than two years ago with regard to both the wastewater requirements and a town revamp, and believes that now the ball “is firmly in Irish Water’s court, to make this happen. Castletownbere is now seen by Irish Water as a special case.”
Both Cian and Donal stress that the current issues don’t adversely affect everyday life in the town. The fish are landed and end up in restaurants and retailers across the continent in what Donal says is the second safest harbour in the world, pipped only by Sydney.
A new pier and harbour development will be transformative, while Cian believes it will not detract from the natural beauty, the ruggedness of the surrounding area. The wild Atlantic Way initiative has already had a huge impact, with a 30% increase in ferry rides to Bere Island and a growth in B&Bs.
For years, Cian believes, Castletownbere and its community didn’t shout loudly enough. Now they are, and everyone is just waiting for the green light.
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