Vol. 497 No. 1
8 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government when he will approve the revised proposals for the Dungarvan sewerage scheme, County Waterford, and allow Waterford County Council to proceed to prepare contract documents and seek tenders for the scheme. [24134/98]
In March 1993, Waterford Council, in association with Waterford Foods plc. , appointed consultants to prepare a preliminary report and an environmental impact statement for a joint wastewater treatment plant to cater for Dungarvan's domestic and industrial and wastewater needs. The environmental impact statement was certified in January 1996.
Following the merger of Waterford Foods with Avonmore, the company decided to close its operations in Dungarvan. This decision had significant implications for the design of the proposed wastewater treatment plant. Accordingly my Department requested the council to review the preliminary report and the council's response was submitted to my Department in February of this year. Following examination of the council's submission, the council was requested to consider a number of technical matters and to submit a supplementary report. This report was submitted to my Department on 19 October last and is at present being examined technically.
The scheme, which has a current estimated cost of over £10 million, is included in the current water services investment programme to be advanced through planning. I am not yet in a position to say when approval may issue to the revised preliminary report for the scheme. I expect the local authority will be in a position to further progress the planning of the scheme, including the issue of obtaining the necessary foreshore licence in 1999.
As the Minister stated, Waterford County Council submitted all the necessary documentation to the Department on 19 October in reply to request for same. We expected there would have been some movement on this proposal since that date. Will the Minister give me some idea when the scheme might go to tender?
I cannot give the Deputy a precise date. The proposed scheme is included in the programme to be advanced through planning and provided there are no delays because of technical problems, the proposal will not be held up in the Department for financial reasons. That might be the assurance the Deputy wants. I cannot give him a precise date as to when the scheme will go to tender because there may be a delay in regard to the foreshore licence, but I can assure him the proposal will be moved forward and there will be no undue delay in regard to it.
Is the Minister aware that the provision of such a scheme is pivotal to the industrial development of Dungarvan town? The scheme is badly needed because the town has lost Waterford Foods and we want to attract replacement industries, but we need the proposed sewerage scheme to facilitate the location of such industries.
I am aware of that. I assure the Deputy that the Government is well aware of the impact on the town of the loss of that company. It might have been easier to say the proposed scheme is no longer as urgent as it once was, but we regard it as being more urgent because of the need to facilitate change in the town.
