Carrigane and Kilbehenny WWTP ‘an issue for Limerick’ say Cork County Council

Discussions have broken out as to whether a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) for Carrigane and Kilbehenny is a Cork County Council issue or a Limerick City and County Council issue.

Recent correspondence from Irish Water to Cork County Council officials described how Carrigane and Kilbehenny is regarded as unsewered, as there is no public wastewater infrastructure within either village and therefore Irish Water have no remit in the area.

Pointing to the River Basin Management Plan for Ireland 2022-2027, the Irish Water spokesperson pointed to ‘a multi-annual investment programme to provide wastewater infrastructure for unsewered villages to reduce untreated wastewater discharged to the environment and protect receiving waters’.

According to the spokesperson, should Carrigane and Kilbehenny be included in this programme, or otherwise receive funding for the provision of wastewater infrastructure, Irish Water will work with the local authorities to identify and implement an appropriate solution for the villages.

MONDAY’S UPDATE

Speaking at the Northern Committee meeting of Cork County Council that took place on Monday, Cllr Frank O’Flynn called for the council to write again to Irish Water as he called for the WWTP for the villages to be added to the list for the multi-annual funding.

Cllr Kay Dawson stated that having met with the Kilbehenny and Carrigane community, the issue with the WWTP appears to be the Cork and Limerick border.

“This group are quite willing to actually work on and contribute towards a solution, but we definitely need Limerick County Council on board as well,” Cllr Dawson said.

Northern Divisional Manager James Fogarty responded to councillors’ queries stating that the issue of a WWTP for Carrigane and Kilbehenny is one for Limerick City and County Council.

“There should be one waste treatment plant, to our thinking anyway, and that belongs in Kilbehenny and that has to come from Limerick, but we would be fully behind them and we would fully support such consultation taking place,” Mr Fogarty said.

Speaking at the meeting on Monday, Cllr Deirdre O’Brien stated that land for the WWTP had been identified within Cork County, as lands in Limerick would be located too close to the village.

Mr Fogarty responded by stating that there is currently no proposal for a WWTP for the area. It was agreed that Cork County Council members would write again to Irish Water and to the parent department regarding the matter.