Vol. 563 No. 4
584 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the standards which apply to the disposal of domestic and agricultural sewage sludge here; the most common toxic substances found in sludge; and the level of testing, monitoring and enforcement that is carried out here. [7640/03]
Sewage sludge is an inevitable and potentially useful by-product of advanced waste water treatment processes. Overall volumes of such sludge will grow as a result of the major investment in waste water treatment facilities under the national development plan. It is therefore desirable, and in accordance with EU requirements, that sewage sludge should be refused wherever appropriate.
The Environmental Protection Agency report on urban waste water discharges in Ireland for 1998 and 1999 advised that, at that time, 44.6% of sewage sludge was disposed of through landfill, 23.2% to agriculture and 31.3% to the marine environment. The route for the remaining 0.9% is unspecified. Disposal to the marine environment, which was principally from the Ringsend treatment works, has now ceased.
My Department has taken steps over the past decade to promote improved management of sewage sludge – for example, by providing detailed guidelines and financial assistance to support the preparation of sludge management plans by local authorities. Reuse in agriculture is one of the available options. Sludge can be treated to produce a pasteurised fertiliser referred to as biosolid. To further assist the farming sector and local authorities in implementing this approach A Code of Good Practice for the Use of Biosolids in Agriculture has been published. This advises on the appropriate standards of treatment and quality of the sewage sludge.
Where sewage sludge is reused in agriculture it is subject to compliance with the Waste Management (Use of Sewage Sludge in Agriculture) Regulations 1998, as amended, which gives effect to Council Directive 86/278/EC dated 12 June 1986. The regulations specify sampling, analyses and monitoring requirements, set limit values for metal concentrations that may be applied to land and require that the sludge is not used except in accordance with a nutrient management plan. The regulations also place a responsibility on local authorities to plan, control and enforce the disposal and/or reuse of sewage sludge within their functional areas.
Sewage sludge and soil must be analysed and sampled in accordance with national and EU regulations. The sewage sludge user is responsible for monitoring. The data produced are provided to local authorities and in turn transmitted to the Environmental Protection Agency. The agency's analyses of sewage sludges are reported biannually. The last published report for urban waste water discharges in Ireland for the years 1998 and 1999 is available in the Library and includes information on the maximum concentration of heavy metals in sludges – table 5.8 – and soils – table 5.9 – where sludge was reused in agriculture.
