Need for Youghal waste water treatment plant now more urgent

I am a resident of Youghal (and have been for the past 35 years).

I am hugely concerned by the lack of a waste water treatment plant in Youghal. It is draconian to have our excrement and all other human waste, flush directly into our sea, and the beautiful Blackwater.

However, there would appear to be a waste water treatment plant afoot which will treat the waste before it exits directly into the sea: or is it afoot? The announcement was made, the fanfare was rung out, all relevant politicians, Public servants, and those who like to be around when good news is announced, have spoken. Where is the real truth though? The plant is a capital project and under the Water Services Investment Programme is funded by both the Department of the Environment and the local authority. The latter is required to fund the so-called ‘Non-Domestic Marginal Cost’, while the department will fund the balance (we are told €18.2m is available for this.

Tenders are out and were due to be returned mid-August 2012. If tenders are returned as per most recent estimates Cork County Council will have to fund an additional €5.7m.

I quote a Cork County Council Executive Engineer responsible for this project; “At this point in time I have been told that Youghal Main Drainage Scheme is one of the projects for which funding will be made available by Cork County Council in 2012. Unfortunately, under the current circumstances I still have to include the caveat that the scheme is subject to funding and approvals.”

This is what I’m most concerned about. The real crux of the matter is the words ‘subject to funding’. From where and when will this funding arrive? I, for one, won’t be holding my breath.

In the interim, Cork County Council have granted planning permission for 30,000 tonnes of hazardous waste to be treated, and the effluent water from the process to be poured directly into the Blackwater and not into the WWT system, as specified on the original planning documents by the waste company concerned: One does not exist.

An appeal currently lies in the hands of An Bord Pleanala. Let’s hope they see sense.

Pierce Hennessy

Youghal

Co Cork