Residents demand action on treatment plant
DUNMANWAY is struggling to cope with capacity at its waste water treatment plant yet tankers are continuing to bring more sludge from other West Cork towns.
That’s the situation infuriating locals who have been campaigning for an urgent upgrade of the plant, and it emerged that effluent from the plant has flowed into the Bandon Rivers. A video released last week showed the effluent into the SAC (Special Area of Conservation).
The waste water treatment plant’s lack of capacity has also brought development in the town to a standstill.
Speaking to The Southern Star, Donal Cahalane, project director of local builder company, Cahalane Bros Ltd and a member of Dunmanway Waste Water Action group, said it’s very alarming that the river is being polluted and that tankers are bringing sludge from other towns to their plant.
He said they are immensely proud of their SAC and are keen to protect it but queries the monitoring process by Uisce Éireann. ‘What monitoring are they doing and why was it that it took one of our members after a meeting with public reps last week to report the effluent flowing into the river?’ he asked. ‘There was a serious malfunction at the plant and it’s alarming.’
Donal said a local resident informed the action group that tankers were coming in and out of there all the time.
‘This isn’t a recent development either. They bring small volumes of sludge during the winter, which increases significantly during the summer and it’s being brought here to get de-watered. The infuriating thing for us is that we’re being told we can’t build houses but if you want to build a house in these towns, you can.’
No planning permissions have been granted in Dunmanway since 2020 as developments require new connections to the sewer system in the town. In fact, just one house was built in the town in 2023 and that was because it required a septic tank, due to its location off the town sewer.
‘This is a town, which is affordable with plenty of amenities and wants to grow and keep the businesses it has but there is no growth. The sites are there too but we can’t move on them. It is even enshrined in the County Development Plan that the town needs an upgrade of the plant with a third stage of treatment before any new developments can take place.’
A spokesperson for Uisce Éireann said that they have identified the cause of the incident at the spill at the plant in Dunmanway and remedial works are currently underway. ‘The cause of the incident was related to air flow to the process units,’ they said.
Donal said Dunmanway is not a priority for Uisce Éireann.
‘It’s a town at the top of a major river and what comes out from this plant affects the whole of the Bandon River and everything below including the drinking water for Bandon, Ballineen, and Enniskeane.’
Tim Buckley, chairman of Dunmanway Chamber of Commerce said the treatment plant is stalling development in the town.’
Cork South West Fianna Fáil TD Christopher O’Sullivan called for ‘fair treatment’ for Dunmanway.
‘The people of Dunmanway deserve better than this. It’s a key town in West Cork and for years it’s been crying out for investment.’
At this week’s Cork County Council meeting, Cllr Noel O’Donovan (FG) said the effluent he saw flowing into the Bandon River was ‘truly shocking.’
Cllr Deirdre Kelly (FF) said Uisce Éireann have ‘shirked’ their responsibilities and thrown it back to Cork County Council. She said they need to make a decision and not push it out for another 10 years. ‘The county engineer even contacted Uisce Éireann in December and advised them that if they were to submit a planning application in relation to the plant it would be looked on favourably.’
Councillors from Macroom also expressed concerns about the sewerage plant in their town.
A spokesperson for Uisce Éireann said Dunmanway is under consideration for inclusion as part of the next investment cycle (2025-2029).
