NEWS 2007

New Fears over sewage scheme plants

Moville residents say a report revealing that raw sewage is pumped into rivers across the country only confirms their worst fears about a plan for a new pumping station near their homes.

The Campaign for a Clean Estuary group has claimed that a proposed new treatment works at Carnagarve in Moville could destroy its most important local amenities, including local bathing waters, beaches and the shore walk between Moville and Greencastle.

Commenting on a recent report from the Environmental Protection Agency - which stated that treatment facilities around the country are unable to cope with high levels of development - the group's spokesman, Enda Craig, said that local people also feared such an outcome in the future. He criticised a decision to locate the treatment plant in the estuary and "not at the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean which is just up the road."

Enda claims that an overflow pipe is to be located "on the most important beach locally" between Moville and Greencastle. We have found out that the council will be officially entitled to pump out completely untreated sewage on three occasions in any 12 month period. For example, this could take place at the height of the summer. This is very serious information."

The recent EPA report found that, at the end of 2005, only one in five waste treatment plants in small towns was treating sewage to adequate standards.

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