Cork community furious as ‘inadequate’ septic tank contaminates GAA pitch

The tank in Béal Átha ’n Ghaorthaidh, installed in the 1930s, is acknowledged as “operating at overcapacity”

The septic tank in Béal Átha ’n Ghaorthaidh, which the village’s development committee says often overflows, contaminating adjacent properties including a local GAA training pitch.

Members of Cork community are to petition Irish Water to upgrade an “inadequate” septic tank which they say regularly overflows, contaminating a GAA pitch and creating public health and environmental risks at a scenic lake.

The tank in the Gaeltacht village of Béal Átha ’n Ghaorthaidh, installed in the 1930s, is acknowledged in the new draft Cork County Development Plan as “operating at overcapacity”. Its inefficacy also limits future housing development in the village, the draft plan points out.

Village development group Coiste Forbartha Béal Átha ’n Ghaorthaidh, which is organising the petition to Irish Water, recently purchased a piece of riverside land and claims the problems with wastewater treatment in the village will hamper the land’s intended development as a recreational amenity.

The petition says the situation is “unacceptable” and that the tank is “inadequately sized for the number of connections”.

“The inadequate size means that no further connections are allowed and that this in turn is preventing development within the village.” 

It claims the tank “often overflows, contaminating adjacent properties, including the village GAA pitch [and] the recently-acquired field which adjoins the septic tank, now in the public realm as it is owned by the village community”.

“These overflows are not only unsightly and unpleasant but represent a public health risk,” the petition adds. “The discharges into the lakes of Locha Lua are creating a health risk to recreational water users [for example kayakers] and are a blight to recreation.” The petition seeks an “explanation from Irish Water for the inaction and a firm date by which work will be carried out”.

Tadhg Ó Duinnín, cathaoirleach of the coiste forbartha, said planning permission had been approved for a new wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) several years ago, but lack of funding meant the project failed to come to fruition.

“Money is the barrier,” he said. “The planning has been got for the treatment unit. “The land [the tank] is on is council ground but it’s totally surrounded by the land we’ve bought. We want to turn that into community amenity land and it’s a big stumbling block.” The tank, he claimed, “actually does nothing” and its inefficiency means the effluent “might as well go straight into the river”.

“During the summer in the heat there’d be a smell all over the place,” he said. “There is a pond behind the tank where you can see the water is murky and a horrible creamy colour. The place where the water is settled is full of pollution.

“The council do come and empty it [the tank] every now and then but the settlement of water that’s in the trees beside it is just horrific,” added Mr Ó Duinnín, who said the problems are exacerbated when the River Lee and its tributaries flood.

Polluted water from the septic tank.

“The tank is so old and the outlet from it goes straight into the river and that affects the River Lee and the biodiversity in the lake.” Last month, at an online meeting, the community was informed that Locha Lua (Loch Allua) had been designated as a priority area for action under the Local Authority Water Programme, having been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as having ‘poor’ water quality status. Assessments are to begin shortly in the area to identify water-quality issues.

In addition to the resident population of Béal Átha ’n Ghaorthaidh, the septic tank caters for national and secondary schools, and Irish summer college Coláiste na Mumhan.

The village was identified in the draft county development plan for a 30% increase in housing but the plan cautions: “In the absence of a public wastewater treatment plant, development should be restricted to individual dwellings.

“The village is served by a septic tank which is presently operating at overcapacity and provision of new WWTP is required. It is proposed to install a new WWTP which will discharge to the River Lee. The investment for this treatment plant should be included in any future Irish Water Capital Investment Programme.”

A spokesperson for Irish Water said: “Irish Water has reviewed the portfolio of projects and programmes in our investment plan to ensure we can deliver these in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

“As part of this review process we prioritised projects and programmes based on new and better information, updated timelines as projects progress and new and emerging needs in our water network to best serve our customers, support growth, and meet the objectives under our business plan.

“Following this review the delivery timelines for the Béal Átha ’n Ghaorthaidh WWTP cannot yet be confirmed; works will not progress as part of this Capital Investment Plan [to 2024]. Béal Átha ’n Ghaorthaidh WWTP will be considered again when planning future investment cycles.

“Any homes, or businesses who wish to connect to the Irish Water water and/or wastewater networks in Béal Átha ’n Ghaorthaidh should submit a pre-connection enquiry as early as possible when planning a new development in order to determine if the connection is feasible.”