Concern over Grange odours

IT could be next January before a start is made on a long awaited wastewater treatment plants, the meeting heard.

Irish Water say the upgrading of four wastewater treatment plants in Tubbercurry, Grange, Strandhill and Ballinafad will be carried out as part of one contract.

Irish Water intends to upgrade the existing wastewater treatment plants to provide for the modern, efficient and economically sustainable treatment of wastewater to ensure compliance with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations and EPA licences.

The main objective of the scheme is to provide immediate and long term improvement and expansion of the existing treatment plants.

The design, surveying, planning and complex tendering phase has been completed and is going through internal processes before it proceeds to stage three which is the contract award and build stage. Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) were advertised through the usual channels and an oral hearing with An Bord Pleanala was completed on 2 June 2017.

Irish Water is currently waiting for An Bord Pleanala to confirm the CPO and expects to award a contract thereafter.

Contracts could not be signed until the land was acquired so it could be a number of months for the public hearing to be confirmed, probably, October, said Acting Director of Services, Tom Brennan.

Cllr Tom MacSharry said councillors were getting a lot of calls on the matter especially in relation to Grange.

Cllr Seamus Kilgannon said the earliest start he could see with the scheme would be January of next year and it would be the summer before there was the comfort of a new scheme.

He asked that something be done in the meantime to address the odour problems in Grange.

Acting Director of Services, Tom Brennan said he the matter to the attention of Irish Water.