Wicklow Sewage Spreading a "dangerous cocktail" says Brady

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Wicklow Sewage Spreading a "dangerous cocktail" says Brady

Monday, May 14 2007

A massive sewage spreading operation in Co. Wicklow has been described as a "dangerous, chemical cocktail" by Cllr. John Brady of Sinn Féin.

The practise is banned in three Continental countries and four Irish counties due to safety concerns. Brady has called on Co. Wicklow to immediately follow suit until the government introduces legislation to ban it throughout the State. "There are other safer ways to fertilise farmland. Spreading this waste is a massive health risk to drinking water in rivers, reservoirs and wells," Brady said.

Brady is Sinn Féin's general election candidate in Wicklow.

"In addition to 795 tonnes of the locally produced goop, 8,028 tonnes -- almost 91% -- of human waste were imported to Co. Wicklow last year. It is mixed with lime, which is supposed to kill bacteria. Then it is mixed some more with 6 million litres of leachate from the Rampire dump in the western part of the county," Brady said.

"They say, 'you are what you eat.' I would not want that crazy concoction sprayed on land that grows my cabbage and spuds," Brady said.

"The most obvious sign that this old slop is being spread is the smell. People find it very upsetting," he noted.

"It is mind boggling and almost impossible to begin describing just how dangerous this set up could be," said the Sinn Féin councillor.

"For starters, the sludge has not been heat treated so bacteria can still be present. Lime will not kill all of the germs. My second problem is that waste from hospitals is included. That could include extra risks of infection from sick patients. Imagine going fishing at the local lake and coming back with MRSA," Brady said.

"The next problem is that sewage treatment plants also receive things people throw down their drains. This can include fatal poisons such as white spirits, dangerous household products or old medicines. And, last but not least, there is the leachate: Last year, when I sent run off from the old Fassaroe dump away for analysis I was shocked. It contained a toxic soup that included chemicals, heavy metals such as lead, zinc and mercury, and organic acid," Brady said.

Brady re-iterated that he fully supports farmers' rights to fertilise their land. However, the products made available to them should be safer.

The issue was first brought to his attention by a resident in the Red Cross area who had been complaining of foul smells all last year. "She went to the Minister 'for' the Environment, Dick Roche, but he did nothing," Brady said.

"Once I started looking in to this, it became apparent that this practise has been going on for a few years now," Brady said.

There are three main distributors of human slurry operating in Co. Wicklow. They are: Land Organics of Kilkenny, SEDE Ireland, Ltd., of Tallaght whose parent company is French, and Quinns of Baltinglass.

In August 2006 Land Organics was denied planning permission to build a massive waste-recovery facility for human sludge treatment plant outside Portlaoise. It could have treated 20,000 tonnes a year even though that town produces just one-tenth that amount. In April of this year in Galway, Land Organics drew the wrath of residents of Eyrecourt. This village is in the eastern part of Galway and therefore not close to Lough Corrib. According to Sludge Watch, the human slurry is taken from the Galway municipal plant, mixed with lime and spread over fields. The stink has "ruined the lives" of local residents, according to Sludge Watch.

Just last month in Co. Wexford, Sinn Féin Cllr. John Dwyer was instrumental in highlighting the problem faced by residents there. Again, Land Organics is the company involved in the waste disposal. Residents around Wellingtonbridge have been complaining about the smells from the effluent.

In Wicklow, the County Council has taken Land Organics to District Court. A ruling in that case is expected soon.

Brady's research found that the human waste spread in Wicklow comes from county towns such as Greystones, Enniskerry, Blessington, Baltinglass, Red Cross, Barndearg, Tinahely and Carnew. However, the bulk is imported from Ringsend and Co. Westmeath. "And all the while Arklow is still waiting for its treatment plant to be built while raw sewage is pumped in to the Avoca River," Brady said.

Germany, Holland and Denmark have banned the practise of spreading human slurry on land. In Ireland, the county councils of Offaly, Roscommon, Meath and Cavan have also called a halt. "There have to be serious scientific reasons for three advanced European countries to ban spreading of human waste," Brady said.

In Ireland, human slurry companies are allowed to spread the waste under the Nutrient Management Plan with the permission of the local authority under the Waste Management Act of 1996. According to this law, the council will "specify the quantities of such nutrients in animal and other waste."

"In other words, Wicklow County Council is in the driving seat," Brady noted.

"I am also concerned that this law lets polluters off the hook," Brady said. "The act says: 'It shall be a defence to a charge of committing an offence under this section for the accused to prove that he took all reasonable care to prevent the entry to waters.' If the spreading of this sewage/leachate mix gets in to drinking water, then no one is to blame! Too bad if you have to get your stomach pumped though," said Brady.

"This legal loophole must be closed. This is a cheap way of dealing with a complex and dangerous problem," Brady said. Those spreading the mix are supposed to stay clear of water sources by 20 metres. "But in rain or on wet land this will be hard to achieve," Brady noted.

"Farmers must be allowed to fertilise their land. But using this mixture is not good," Brady concluded.

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