‘Council must do more to help Caherdaniel’
KERRY county councillor Norma Moriarty has said that Kerry County Council should provide engineering support to a group of Caherdaniel homeowners who hope to set up a private sewerage scheme.
Speaking at Friday’s South and West Kerry Municipal District meeting, Cllr Moriarty requested that a council engineer be provided to support the local homeowners’ plans but was informed that the relevant homeowners should consult with a private engineer “as is generally the case in setting up group schemes”.
While there is no sewerage system in the area, the majority of Caherdaniel houses do have septic tanks. However, there are four premises that do not and waste water is entering water courses in the area, it was claimed.
Fianna Fáil councillor Norma Moriarty said she had been told that the relevant homeowners should “engage a competent engineer, familiar with interpreting the guidelines and requirements of the EPA, who will manage the delivery of the scheme”.
Councillor Moriarty voiced her displeasure at the response saying that the local group should have access to the expertise of KCC engineers.
“The locals in Caherdaniel have been proactive and are willing to take the onus on themselves. I think they deserve help from Kerry County Council engineers, and should receive this as taxpayers”, she said.
“Engaging with a private engineer is going to be a costly exercise and I don’t think that’s fair on a group that have rolled up their sleeves for work themselves.”
Councillor Michael Cahill praised locals in Caherdaniel for their willingness to tackle the issue and agreed that the council could be doing more to help, “especially in an area like Caherdaniel where locals are being proactive”. He said that since the meeting he had spoken to Irish Water who would assess the situation.
The council says its engineers are unavailable as they’re working on behalf of Irish Water and only existing sewerage schemes are within the remit of their work.
Meanwhile, also at Friday’s meeting, Cllr Cahill claimed that raw sewage had been allowed to flow onto a Blue Flag Beach in Caherdaniel through a tributary and requested a detailed explanation on why this was happening.
Council management replied that water quality at Caherdaniel Beach – and indeed all of Kerry’s Blue Flag Beaches in the municipal district – has been recognised as ‘excellent’ under national Bathing Water Regulations. Councillor Cahill welcomed that there were no water quality issues on Kerry’s Blue Flag beaches.