Back to square one for Kilbehenny wastewater treatment

Any hope that there has ever been any action taken on the issue of wastewater treatment in Kilbehenny is lost, as Limerick City & County Council confirmed last week that there is no record of a survey of septic tanks having taken place, despite stating in a council meeting in November 2016 that it would be done.

In the last few weeks, Cork County Council and Limerick City and County Council agreed to jointly write a letter to Irish Water, asking that the services company put in place a sewage treatment plant for ‘residents of Kilbehenny, Carrigane and Mitchelstown.’ It is not clear from the correspondence what ‘residents of Mitchelstown’ refers to here. Indeed, it is a testament to the many water issues in the region that there was some confusion at the council meeting on Monday week last as to which wastewater treatment location the members were discussing (Mitchelstown or Kilbehenny), even amongst themselves! The council were urged to write the letter off the back of a notice of motion raised by Cllr Frank O’Flynn.

In March 2019, it was reported that Cork County Council officials would enter into talks with their Limerick counterparts on the very same issue, again raised by the same councillor for the Fermoy Municipal District.

Irish Water have repeatedly stated to TheAvondhu that, as Kilbehenny has never had any wastewater infrastructure in place, it isn’t their responsibility. That two local authorities are intending to pursue the matter with them, leaves some question as to who the responsibility does in fact lie with.

MEETING WITH IRISH WATER REQUESTED

Separately, the elected members of Fermoy MD are requesting an appointment with Irish Water to specifically discuss the matter in Kilbehenny, on 26th March. They are also set to make an appointment to discuss the long-awaited upgrades to the Mitchelstown Waste Water Treatment Plant.

This week, Cork East TD Seán Sherlock queried the Department of Housing if a scheme will be provided for settlements like Kilbehenny, if the local authority is ‘ready to go’ on building infrastructure for water. He asked if there was funding available, stating that if people are subject to an Irish Water list, that “they could be waiting until kingdom come to get their little village or settlement sorted out.”

Noting that the point Mr Sherlock raised was an important one, the chairman for the Committee of Public Accounts, Brian Stanley, asked the Department of Housing to come back to the committee with an inspection schedule for smaller settlements, as the ‘sheer scale’ of the issues of water in smaller villages or areas is too big for local authorities to deal with, lacking the personnel.