There is a sewage effluent problem in Ballyroan and local councillor Mary Sweeney is trying to get to the bottom of it, before it gets worse or impedes housing development in the area.
However, when she raised the issue this week with local authority officials she was annoyed by the response she got.
And understandably so, as the reply she received seemed to obfuscate matters or even see the Council try to wash their hands of the problem.
Fortunately for Cllr Sweeney she received plenty of support from other councillors who were equally miffed by the feedback they were getting from officials.
Director of Services, Michael Rainey tried to clear up matters when he explained that the councillors would have a report before them on Monday next at the full monthly Council meeting relating to plans for 20 new housing units in Ballyroan.
He accepted that there are concerns around the treatment plant capacity and the adjacent waterway.
He said that the houses in question had to be connected to an Irish Water facility and they are aware of this and the Council are engaging with them. He said the necessary works were subject to the Irish Water capital programme and were not in the gift of the Council.
“We’re talking to them and we’ll definitely put pressure on them but at the end of the day it’s an Irish Water treatment facility and a licensed discharge,” outlined Mr Rainey.
Whatever about Mr Rainey’s assurances the official written reply from Senior Engineer, Michael O’ Hora, was somewhat less convincing.
It read: “Laois County Council is engaging with a specialist company in relation to providing a design and full set of working drawings and for appointment of a Project Supervisor for Design Process for a new stare of the art facility within the footprint of the existing building.
“The council will then consider its options for completing the construction and for the future maintenance of this new facility in the context of available capital funding.”
“The answer is very misleading, Irish Water are not mentioned at all. I can see a problem with children out playing and sewage issues,” noted Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald who was chairing the meeting.
“It’s as clear as muck, it makes no sense at all,” concurred Cllr Pauline Madigan.
Inadvertently or otherwise the exact same answer, word for word, was given to a totally unrelated proposal about the public toilets in Portlaoise.
“It’s obvious to me what’s happening and I’m very anxious about it,” said Cllr Sweeney, who repeated her concerns and made it clear that she had engaged on site in Ballyroan with Irish Water personnel.
She wanted the Council to investigate and address her concerns regarding the sewage effluent adjacent to the County Council properties at Gleann na Glaise.
“I’m here for months flogging a dead horse and now it’s live horse and you’ll get grass. I’m sick repeating myself over the health and safety concerns,” said Cllr Sweeney demanding some clarity and making known her dissatisfaction with Irish Water and the Water Services Section in the Council.
“We had enough trouble during the last election over Irish Water. That treatment plant is not working to full capacity and they’re having to lorry stuff back and forth. I can’t make head nor tail of that answer, it’s pure waffle,” asserted a clearly frustrated Cllr Sweeney.
If it is any consolation, Cllr Fitzgerald pointed out that Irish Water were due to attend next Monday’s Council meeting and the issue could be raised directly with them then.
Cllr Willie Aird dissociated himself from any criticism of the Council staff in the water services section as he felt ‘they do great work’.
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