Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 5 Apr 2001

Vol. 534 No. 2

Written Answers. - Waste Disposal.

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

98 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the plans he has to address the increasing problem resulting from higher and higher concentrations of agricultural slurry being disposed of through land spreading; the regulations covering this practice; if he has plans to introduce new regulations; if he has plans to require greater use of anaerobic digestion and other such proven composting technologies as a treatment for slurry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10309/01]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government (Mr. D. Wallace)

Currently almost all agricultural waste is spread on agricultural land. Landspreading is likely to continue as the dominant management route for the majority of such wastes, and is the most appropriate management option when carried out with due care, and in suitable soil conditions, to meet the nutrient requirements of the soil and crops. Guidelines for this purpose have been issued jointly by my Department and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. Primary responsibility for protecting water against pollution arising from the landspreading of agricultural waste lies with the person carrying on the landspreading activity. It is an offence under the Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts for a person to cause or permit polluting matter to enter waters, directly or indirectly.

Alternative options to landspreading may need to be developed for certain areas where there is a shortage of suitable spreadlands or where soil nutrients are already high. Anaerobic digestion is one alternative management option in such areas, and its potential is being considered by local authorities as part of the development of waste management plans under the Waste Management Act, 1996. The EPA has commissioned a study to evaluate the feasibility of applying centralised anaerobic digestion for the treatment of organic wastes and wastewaters in sensitive catchments. Its results will inform implementation of relevant waste management plans.

Primary responsibility among public authorities for the protection and improvement of water quality is assigned to local authorities under the Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts and related legislation. The EPA exercises general supervision in relation to the performance of these functions by local authorities. The EPA has other relevant powers and duties in the context of licensing and other functions under the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992.

Local authorities maintain a high level of activity under the water pollution legislation, by way of investigations, inspections, the service of advice, prevention and warning notices and the initiation of prosecutions. Some 10,000 or more such actions per annum are typically taken. In addition, bye-laws have been made by a number of local authorities since 1999 to protect water quality against pollution from agricultural activities and I understand that the making of such bye-laws is under consideration by other authorities. Major catchment-based water quality management projects are being pursued by local authorities in relation to the Loughs Derg and Ree, Lough Leane and the Rivers Boyne, Liffey and Suir. In these projects, there is a high emphasis on measures to deal with agricultural pollution. My Department is actively promoting the establishment by all local authorities of more broadly based river basin management projects to address all sources of pollution in all inland and coastal waters including groundwaters, in the context of implementation of the water framework directive which came into force in December 2000.

Significant new environmental protection controls are being applied to certain intensive agricultural activities under the EPA's IPC licensing system which has been progressively extended in recent years to apply to intensive pig-rearing and poultry rearing installations.

I indicated in July 2000 that certain groundwaters have been identified as being affected by pollution by nitrates from agricultural sources. Work is under way by local authorities to delineate the drainage areas which contribute to this pollution. This work is being assisted by guidelines prepared by the Geological Survey of Ireland, at the request of my Department, and recently issued to local authorities. I intend during the current year to designate the appropriate areas as nitrate vulnerable zones – NVZs – and to require that special action programmes be implemented in these areas to protect water quality. The primary emphasis will be on securing better management of manures and slurries. A recent report by the EPA on the trophic status of estuaries and bays, also at the request of my Department, will be used in the ongoing identification of waters affected by nitrates pollution and future designation of the relevant catchments as NVZs.