Until about a decade ago, Greystones was one of the most attractive villages in County Wicklow and perhaps in the whole of Ireland. Since then it has grown very fast and has been transformed from a very attractive, spacious village, into a small County Wicklow town. That expansion has quite obviously had a very dramatic effect on the development of the town and the development of County Wicklow. There is nothing wrong with such expansion, it is something we must welcome. We should applaud the fact that the people of Dublin and the outer Dublin area can live in an attractive seaside resort such as Greystones, but the problem is that, whereas Greystones has expanded very fast in terms of population, unfortunately the infrastructure of the town has been completely and utterly inadequate to deal with this development. The roads and footpaths are in an appalling condition, as bad a condition as any roads and footpaths in County Wicklow. The railway service in Greystones is totally inadequate. There is only one commuter service per day, although the town has a large population. The public services, for example road sweeping, are bad and in spite of the increased crime rate in Greystones, as in many of our suburban towns, there is not even a full time Garda station. Unfortunately the worst problem, by far, in the Greystones area is the sewerage problem.
While the town has expanded very fast, the necessary facilities and infrastructure have not been provided. No plan has been made to deal with the sewage and the consequent pollution of Greystones Harbour and of the north and south beaches of Greystones has become quite intolerable for the residents of the town. There are too many people for the existing facilities and infrastructure. That is bad planning. Too many houses were built without forward planning for the needs of the population. As a result, we have an intolerable sewage problem. There is raw sewage in Greystones Harbour, and on the north and south beaches. No Government or local authority had adequately tackled the structural problems.
I am told by technical people that the outfalls are too short. I am also told that primary treatment only is provided in Greystones while secondary treatment is essential in a town that size. We must change to secondary treatment in Greystones because we are now in contravention of the EC directive on waste water, which is due to be implemented.
The problem is offensive to residents who have lived there for a long time, partly because for up to 40 years they were accustomed to bathing in that area. It was a good bathing beach for many years but because of the sewage, there are "no bathing" sings on the north beach which is the worst polluted. It is unwise at certain times of the year to bathe at the south beach because the pollution is so appalling. There are figures on this which undoubtedly the Minister will have. Figures given to me relating to the south beach in Greystones, which is the least badly affected, show that on 17 July this year — in the middle of summer, the prime bathing, holiday and tourist period — the total coliform rating, which is a bacterial combination, was 3,500 and that the fecal coliform rating, which is a fecal species of either animal or human, was at 2,500 on that date. These levels are well above the EC limits and are more than double the Irish limits. These figures were monitored for Wicklow County Council by the Eastern Health Board. I have been unable to obtain an explanation as to how this happened.
On the north beach, which is by far the worst affected area, the result of tests show that the coliform levels, both total and fecal, are consistently well above the EC limits. This is obviously unhealthy, unsightly and intolerable. It is possible that illegal developers in various estates are tapping into the perfectly legitimate sewerage works. That may explain the results on the south beach, but no explanation has been given. On the north beach, the consistency of the breaching of the EC limits is completely intolerable and is something which the Government and the local authorities have been incapable of countering. I am sure the Minister will admit that these treatment plants are overloaded, that they are not capable of dealing with the sewage problem, and unless urgent action is taken, the coastline, harbour and beaches of Greystones will be polluted.
I would like the Minister to tell me what measures the Government have in mind to deal with this matter. I know there is a process in hand for tackling the problem but it is very slow. It is going ahead at a snail's pace. The damage has already been done and it may be irreparable, not only in material terms but in terms of reputation. The plan for Greystones is that the projected population is to expand even more quickly in the next ten years. I worry that while the studies are going on the problem is getting worse.
I understand an environmental impact study is being prepared, that it has been ordered by the county council and will go to the Department in a short period of time. A preliminary report, which has been given to the Department, has found unambiguously that the situation is intolerable, that the system is overloaded and is in breach of EC limits. When the Department assess this report it appears that the assessment will take between six and eight months, or even longer. It will then be necessary for detailed plans to be made out and for the Minister of the day to give those plans the go-ahead. Subsequently the contracts have to go out for tender, which could take at least one year. This situation is critical already but, as a result of the various procedures which have to be gone through as projected at the moment, it will take up to another three or four years to deal with it. That is unacceptable to the people who have to suffer under the system.
I ask the Minister not to give me a reply which simply says, "this is the situation" but to convey to his Department a sense of urgency about this problem. There is no doubt that the Department of the Environment can, without any great difficulty, hasten this process. They can cut down the time for going out to tender, and making assessments. If this was regarded as an emergency it would be done immediately but because it has to do with sewerage, it is not regarded as urgent.
I know it is an expensive matter but if we are irresponsible in the way we deal with the sewerage plant a catastrophe faces Greystones. It is deteriorating before our eyes at this moment because of the neglect of this problem. One of the most beautiful parts of County Wicklow, which has been an environmentally proud town, is in danger of getting a bad name. When the Government neglect matters such as pollution in the harbour and on the beaches of Greystones, pride in the town begins to slip. It is no coincidence that Greystones did not do well in the Tidy Towns Competition, although that may be partly because the spread of resources in County Wicklow is very thin. It may be there is not enough money to employ people to sweep the roads and clean up at the weekends. It is a serious problem but if the Government, who have to take responsibility for pollution, neglects this lovely town in County Wicklow, the people will cease to take pride in it.
I ask the Minister for the sake of this tourist asset, for the sake of the seashore and the coast, the harbour and the people who live there, to do everything in his power to hasten the process to make it safe to bathe in Greystones again and to make the harbour and coastal areas free of pollution as they used to be.
