Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 January 2015
507. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the toxic dumping into the Dundalk, County Louth, water supply; if there will be immediate intervention from the Environmental Protection Agency; if he has figures in relation to the amount of toxic dumping which is being dumped into the Fane river; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3549/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra512. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding the illegal diesel laundering waste into the Fane river, County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3475/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra537. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will request an Environmental Protection Agency test, assessment and report on the quality of water in Lough Muckno, Castleblayney, County Monaghan, and in the Fane river and in the domestic water supply source to the town of Dundalk, County Louth, following reports that diesel laundering waste has been either dumped in or allowed seep into these water courses; if he will arrange for these tests to be carried out without delay in view of the very understandable concern among the dependent community as a result of these claims; if he will undertake to publish the full findings and the steps, he is advised to take both immediately and, if acceptable, in the medium term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3706/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 507, 512 and 537 together.
I share the Deputies’ concerns regarding the media reports about an alleged pollution discharge to Lough Ross in Co. Armagh entering the River Fane system which is the source of the drinking water supply for Dundalk.
It is the responsibility of Irish Water to assess the risk of contamination to public water drinking sources and to monitor any such risks. Monitoring occurs of the source water, the water after treatment and the water at the point of use within the water network and drinking water sample results for 2014 are fully compliant with the Drinking Water Regulations. If the supply becomes contaminated or fails to meet the minimum drinking water quality standards Irish Water must notify the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promptly. The EPA investigates all such notifications to ensure that remedial action is taken to prevent any reoccurrence.
In this regard, I understand that Louth County Council, on behalf of Irish Water, has contacted the relevant authorities in Northern Ireland to investigate this specific allegation.
Lough Muckno is part of the EPA’s national Lake Monitoring Programme network under the Water Framework Directive. Biological monitoring is undertaken every 3 years and monitoring of the general physical conditions is undertaken every year with samples analysed for 13 specific parameters.
The Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts carry a general prohibition on the entry of any polluting matter to waters. Any persons causing or permitting polluting matter to enter waters is liable on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding €15,000,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years, or both. The primary enforcement responsibility in relation to water pollution rests with local authorities, which are in turn supervised by the EPA for this purpose. Local authorities issue a significant number of enforcement notices every year under the Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts. These enforcement notices require respondents to carry out actions to prevent or remedy water pollution, and are followed up by prosecutions where necessary.
Enforcement in relation to illegal diesel laundering activities is primarily a matter for the Revenue Commissioners from the point of view of avoiding loss of revenue to the Exchequer. My Department assists local authorities in carrying out their role as competent authorities under waste legislation, which is to take the necessary measures, on behalf of the State, to ensure that any waste generated and left abandoned by the diesel launderers is disposed of without endangering human health and without harming the environment, in particular without risk to water.
Approximately 1,200 incidents of diesel laundering waste dumping have been dealt with by local authorities since 2008 and to date my Department has reimbursed all of the costs associated with such disposal on a case by case basis. Almost half of the clean-up operations have taken place in County Louth with 596 incidents having been dealt with at a cost of approximately €4.8 million.
Following discussions with An Garda Síochána, the Revenue Commissioners and Monaghan County Council who have also been seriously affected by this issue, my Department has agreed to fund a pilot sampling programme for abandoned fuel laundering waste material in order to generate improved intelligence. This exercise may result in linking dump sites to particular laundering processes as well as identifying the origins of the diesel based on the markers detected in the analysed material. The pilot programme will be carried out by a specialised contractor who will visit the sites, sample the waste, deliver these samples to the state laboratory and compile a report based on that analysis.
My Department, as part of on-going cooperation with the Northern Ireland authorities on repatriation of illegally deposited waste in Northern Ireland, has held recent discussions with the relevant Northern Ireland authorities on the need to develop a mechanism for dealing with waste from cross-border diesel washings which would be factored into the overall discussions on waste repatriation. These discussions are on-going.
There is strong end active co-operation on this and other waste management issues between the relevant enforcement authorities on both sides of the Border, involving An Garda Síochána, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and other enforcement agencies. However, I will be writing to my counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive, Minister Mark Durkan, to highlight again the problems being faced by border counties exposed to the consequences of environmental crime and will also raise the issue at the next meeting of the North South Ministerial Council.
I believe that a complete solution to this problem must necessarily involve effective and co-ordinated enforcement of the law from both a revenue and waste management perspective. In that context, my Department continues to liaise with representatives of the Revenue Commissioners, the local authorities concerned and the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement to seek to identify more effective enforcement solutions.
