Ceisteanna — Questions Oral Answers. - Sewage Disposal. – Dáil Éireann (25th Dáil) – Wednesday, 26 Oct 1988

Mr. McDowell

asked the Minister for the Environment, in relation to the proposal to pump sewage from Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin to the Pigeon House across the floor of Dublin Bay, whether his Department has been consulted in the matter; whether he promised to make any money available by way of grants to assist the project; and, in particular, (1) the effect on the green algae that at present grows in the inner bay with the increased nutrients from the outflow; (2) the effects of the increased outflow from Pigeon House on the immediate bay, in particular Sandymount and Dollymount Strands; (3) whether the proposed pipeline will be buried from Dún Laoghaire to Pigeon House or laid along the bottom; (4) in view of the proposed EC legislation banning sludge dumping at sea, his Department's proposal on dealing with the sludge at Pigeon House; (5) his Department's plans, if any, on piping outflow further out into the bay; (6) the reasons for pumping the sewage to Pigeon House rather than the many other alternatives available; (7) whether the proposals will be in line with the water management plan for Dublin Bay which is shortly to be published, and, (8) whether any independent study or report has been commissioned on the issue, and its results.

35.

Proinsias De Rossa

asked the Minister for the Environment if the contract documents for the proposed marine pipeline to convey sewage from Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin to Ringsend treatment plant, which is urgently needed to reduce pollution in Dublin Bay, have yet been approved; when it is expected that work on the pipeline will commence; when it will be completed; the most recent information available to his Department on pollution levels in Dublin Bay; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for the Environment (Mr. Flynn)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 35 together.

I have approved Dún Laoghaire Corporation's proposals to deal with the inadequate sewerage system serving the area by connecting the Dún Laoghaire system to the Ringsend treatment plant via a pipeline laid across the bay and below the seabed. The treatment capacity at Ringsend has recently been doubled, and is more than adequate to cater for the maximum loading from Dún Laoghaire which should increase the present loading by no more than 10 per cent. The project will ultimately eliminate all untreated sewage discharges to the sea along the entire Dún Laoghaire coastline and will thus ensure an improvement in the water quality of the bay. At the same time, I am advised that, taking account of the more efficient treatment now available at Ringsend, there should be no increase in the level of nutrients in the treated outflow over that of recent years. Similarly, the new project should have little or no effect on Dollymount and Sandymount strands. There will, however, be a considerable improvement in water quality at the southern end of Sandymount strand and in the BlackrockDún Laoghaire areas. In these circumstances, I am satisfied that the new arrangements represent the best practicable environmental option at this time for improving water quality in the bay.

Extensive surveys of Dublin Bay carried out in recent years on behalf of the Dublin local authorities indicate that the waters of the bay are relatively free from pollution. However, Dublin Corporation are already giving preliminary consideration to what further measures may be necessary or desirable in the longer term to improve their sewerage treatment and disposal facilities. Any measures of this kind will, of course, have to be determined in the context of the water quality management plan which is being prepared for Dublin Bay.

Tenders for the pipeline contract have recently been submitted to my Department and I expect to be in a position to give a decision on the proposal very soon. I would expect construction work to commence in the spring and the actual laying of the pipeline to be completed during the summer of 1989.

Mr. McDowell

I have to apologise to the Minister for the length of the question I tabled but I am surprised that he has not dealt with one aspect of this question, that is, subparagraph (4), which asked in view of the proposed EC legislation banning sludge dumping at sea, what is going to happen to the sludge produced at Pigeon House? Is the Minister's Department making any preparations to desist from dumping sewerage sludge at sea which I understand is the case at present? What arrangements are the Department making?

Mr. Flynn

The Deputy is quite right when he says that there is some dumping of sewage sludge at sea. It is dumped in accordance with a licence issued by the Department of the Marine.

Mr. McDowell

Where?

Mr. Flynn

At this very time Dublin Corporation are investigating alternative methods of sludge disposal which would reduce or which in fact might very well eliminate the need for the disposal of sewerage sludge at sea. That would be the aim.

Mr. McDowell

Am I to understand that this alternative method involves the dumping of this sewage sludge in some land based location?

Mr. Flynn

I do not have any details on the alternative methods being proposed but I am assured that in whatever way it will be done it will be environmentally proper and will hopefully eliminate all dumping at sea. As the Deputy has quite rightly said, there are some EC directives in that regard.

Proinsias De Rossa

Would the Minister confirm that he said in June of this year that he was urgently looking at contract documents and expected an early decision? Can he tell us what has delayed the decision? Can he tell us also what the cost of the Dún Laoghaire project will be and where the money will come from — if the money will come from the county council estimates or will the Department provide the money directly as there is nothing for that purpose in the Estimates as published?

Mr. Flynn

As I said, the tenders were submitted recently. I am only repeating this, the work will commence in the spring and it is regarded by technical experts——

Proinsias De Rossa

This project was submitted in July 1987.

Mr. Flynn

I was about to tell the Deputy that the technical advice is that this is the kind of job which should commence in the spring with the pipe laying under the sea bed to be carried out in the summer period.

Proinsias De Rossa

Two years after it was submitted, in July 1987.

Mr. Flynn

Yes but replies to questions asked about this should have alerted the Deputy to the fact that the tenders had not arrived in the Department until quite recently. I indicated at that time, as the Deputy quite rightly said, that money would be made available for this job which I see as a priority one. It will commence in the spring and I cannot go any further than that.

Proinsias De Rossa

How much?

Mr. Flynn

I do not know whether that kind of information should be given to the Deputy but because——

Mr. Quinn

It happens to be taxpayers' money.

Mr. Flynn

It is. The appropriate time to give that figure would be as soon as the matter is disposed of but I will give the Deputy a kind of bald picture. The best way for me to say it is that the whole scheme will cost in advance of £10 million but the first section of the contract will cost substantially less than that. I do not think that the Deputy should press me any further.

Mr. Quinn

Let me ask two brief questions. The first relates to the water management studies which are being undertaken at present, can the Minister give me any indication of when the management plan will be available? Secondly, in relation to the successful tender, and I do not want to interfere in the process, may I ask the Minister to positively consider in the light of very bad local experience in the past that positive discrimination in terms of local employment would be required or written into the successful tender? That has not been the experience in the past.

Mr. Flynn

That what?

Mr. Quinn

I ask that preference be given to local unemployed people, properly notified through FÁS.

Proinsias De Rossa

In Dún Laoghaire or Ringsend?

Mr. Quinn

Both. Dare I say it, but we have the extraordinary spectacle of people coming from as far away as Mayo to work on sites in the middle of Ringsend and elsewhere and local people being told in advance that they are not to apply and are not required to apply. What I am simply saying is that if taxpayers' money is going to be made available that local unemployed people should not be discriminated against in advance which is what has happened in the past. In respect of that second question, I am asking the Minister to give some indication in accordance with tendering procedures that the successful bidder should, where possible, take on local people through the normal channels of FÁS and so on. The model is already in existence.

Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 26 Oct 1988