Tides could spread toxic waste

TIDE movement on Cork harbour would mean that any potential chemical waste from the former Irish Steel plant is effectively swirled around the harbour.

In navigational terms, Cork harbour is the second largest natural harbour in the world — just behind Sydney.

According to Eddie English, who runs the renowned SailCork school and navigates the harbour every day, the potential human fallout from waste leaching into the water would be “significant”, due to the harbour’s tidal patterns.

While explaining the tidal movements around the harbour, Mr English told the Irish Examiner he has long been suspicious of waste disposal around Haulbowline.

He relocated his sailing school from a nearby site because of the “smell and the difficulty in breathing” when the wind was blowing from the former Ispat plant.

According to Mr English, after high tide (HW), the “tide ebbs in an eastwards direction from the west side of Haulbowline where the controversial slag heap is situated”.

The tidal movement continues along the eastern part of Spike Island with the tide washing outwards in a southwards direction towards the mouth of the harbour.

Cobh, Aghada, Rostellan and Ringaskiddy are all pitched right on the tidal paths. The tide then moves past popular bathing spots like Whitegate and Trabolgan.

“This ebbing goes on for six hours before the turning of the tides in the opposite direction,” said Mr English.

As the flooding of the harbour begins, the water flows over the north of Haulbowline with the water driving from the mouth of the harbour onwards, pushing the tide towards Rushbrook and Little Island and inwards towards the city suburbs and into Cork city itself.

Residents from the town of Ringaskiddy have long tried to slow industrial development in the region, most recently having scored a coup with An Bord Pleanála’s refusal to allow the Port of Cork to develop a massive new container port.

Tidal movements would mean that Ringaskiddy would be right in the line of fire if the alleged toxic dump from the former Irish Steel plant leaked into the sea.

Waters around Crosshaven and Cobh would also be at risk as would the two picturesque villages of Whitegate and Aghada. Much of this area is also used for fishing.

It was revealed in the Irish Examiner last week that the Department of the Environment had told a subcontracting firm involved in cleaning up the site to “cap” lagoons containing toxic waste, rather than removing 500,000 tonnes of dangerous material.

But Minister for the Environment John Gormley strongly refuted the claims by the subcontractor, who said the waste contains chromium 6, a highly carcinogenic material dangerous to humans.