Failure to sniff out that stink
THE source of the sporadic stink on Mornington Road must still remain a mystery, as Irish Water and Louth County Council have both carried out separate investigations and come up empty-handed.
In a letter received by local TD Deputy Fergus O’Dowd, any link between the malodours and the Waste Water Treatment Plant ( WWTP) on the Marsh Road has been ruled out, and the cause is still unknown.
The investigation by Irish Water was carried out after they received a number of complaints of intermittent odours in the general vicinity in recent weeks. A spokesperson for the company says their investigations are ongoing and have not yet been definitive as to the cause or causes.
“Odour patrol monitoring at the boundary of the WWTP was carried out on nine separate occasions between May 24th and June 13th and on each occasion no odours were detected at the boundary of the WWTP,” stated the letter.
“The only odours detected were localised at the primary settlement tanks within the site but these odours were not detectable at the site boundaries. There have been no process issues or mechanical breakdowns at the plant that would give rise to malodours”.
The report states that no odours have been detected by the portable gas monitors worn daily by the operators, and on June 13th an Irish Water engineer visited site to carry out an inspection, no issues were noted and no odours were detected at the boundary of the site during this inspection.
“Operators will continue to carry out regular odour monitoring checks at the site and are currently conducting a survey of the incoming load to the plant to identify any increased plant loadings,” they state. Louth County Council network crew also carried out odour monitoring on June 6th on in the Marsh Road, Wheaton Hall and Dublin Road areas and no odours were detected from the network at that time.
There have been suggestions the stink is being caused by pollution in the River Boyne, however, it seems the exact cause will remain unknown for the foreseeable future.