Rotting seaweed 'not the only reason for bad odour in Kerry village'

A council meeting has been told that some of the gaseous odour may be due to illegal discharges and non-connections to the seaside village’s wastewater treatment plant

Foul odours at the beautiful seaside village — famous for its Charlie Chaplin connection and popular with golfers — have been an issue for two decades. Picture: Dan Linehan

An overwhelming stench, or 'malodour' which sporadically hangs over the seafront at Waterville, Co. Kerry, cannot be blamed solely on rotting seaweed and has prompted a call for an independent review of the village's wastewater plant.

Some of the gaseous odour may be due to illegal discharges and non-connections to the popular seaside village’s wastewater treatment plant, a council meeting has been told.

Rotting seaweed caught in crevices of now disintegrating rock armour was identified as the most likely cause of the smell, after an investigation was conducted last year. That investigation was conducted after numerous visitors complained about being overwhelmed by the rising stench.

When it rots, seaweed releases a substance called hydrogen sulphide and emits an odour like rotten eggs. The disintegrating armour traps seaweed and prevents the tide from taking it away. Funding has been applied to repair the damaged parts of the rock armour that are broken.

However, the most recent meeting of Kenmare Municipal District heard that seaweed is not the sole reason, and suspected illegal discharges and connections to the wastewater treatment plant may also be responsible.

Foul odours at the beautiful seaside village — famous for its Charlie Chaplin connection and popular with golfers — have been an issue for two decades. The installation of an 18m wastewater plant, after a long campaign, was widely welcomed in 2013 and it was hoped that would signal an end to the problem.

However, the stench has now returned and local Fianna Fáil councillor Norma Moriarty is calling for "an independent review and examination of the wastewater infrastructure in Waterville".

'Embarrassing'

Ms Moriarty said this was needed "in light of the ongoing issues with malodour and the fact that they do not always correlate with seaweed deposition and decomposition," she told the meeting. The meeting heard how Uisce Éireann believes there are no known issues on the network in the area.

However, "there are a suspected number of illegal unauthorised connections which are difficult to detect along with some suspected illegal discharges in the area,’" the water body's report said.

The smell was "embarrassing" for business owners and locals especially when people visiting wanted to sit out and enjoy the views, Ms Moriarty said. "Yes seaweed decomposing does contribute. But it is not the only issue," she said.

The smell was sporadic but emerged all year round, including February and March of this year. It was worse at Easter, coinciding with greater tourist numbers, she said.

"Everyone was of the view that the multi-million euro, inter-generational project that was the Waterville Waste Treatment Plant would solve all of this," Ms Moriarty said. "Connections were free at the time. We shouldn’t be where we are. There should be no issues."

She urged that those who had not connected to the treatment plant for whatever reason should be encouraged to do so. Council staff said they will continue to monitor the situation.