Poollution
RAW sewage from almost 90,000 people is being pumped into rivers and on to beaches every day, a damning new report has revealed.
The Environmental Protection Agency has disclosed waste from the equivalent of 88,000 residents in 38 towns and villages flows into the environment daily.
The director of the watchdog’s office of environmental enforcement Dr Tom Ryan said the failure to invest in proper waste water treatment systems is putting the public’s health at risk.
He added: “Ireland is not addressing the deficiencies in its infrastructure at a fast enough pace.
“It is unacceptable that, 13 years after the final deadline to comply with standards, there are still 28 large towns and cities discharging inadequately treated sewage that fails to meet these standards.
“This is putting our health at risk and Sewage enters water
is having an impact on our rivers, lakes and coastal waters.”
The EPA’S report Urban Waste Water Treatment In 2017 found in 28 of Ireland’s 179 large towns and cities standards set to prevent pollution and protect public health are not being met.
It also emerged waste water from 57 areas caused significant impacts on rivers, lakes and coastal waters. While it
areas where waste water had a major impact on waterways