Treatment plant objections being considered

LUSK residents are sceptical that Fingal County
Council’s consultation process in relation to the Greater Dublin Drainage
Project will work in their favour.

The Lusk Waste Watchers lobby group was speaking as
council engineers and officials began the arduous task of poring over more than
10,000 submissions received in relation to a suitable site for the treatment
plant.

The controversial multi-million euro project for the
new infrastructure in north county Dublin will include a regional treatment
plant, a marine outfall and an orbital sewer.

Nine sites have been provisionally identified as being
suitable for the controversial project. Four of these sites are in the greater
Lusk area.

Lorcan O’Toole of Lusk Waste Watchers claimed the
council was simply

“paying lip service

? through the consultation phase.

“We feel quite pessimistic and cynical that the
council will come back with anything other than a Lusk site for the proposed
plant,

? Mr O’Toole told Northside People.

“We don’t believe the council will take heed of our
opposition and the suggestions made in our submissions.

?

Locals have questioned the need for one regional plant
due to the current economic climate and have called for a review of recent
population statistics to ensure the new plant is correctly sized.

Other concerns include potential impacts on the
environment and the possibility of odours from the new plant.

Mr O’Toole said there doesn’t seem to be any logical
need for the plant, not to mention why it should be located in an area that
hasn’t even caused the waste.

“We feel strongly that this waste should be treated
near or where it has been created which is the city, Meath, Wicklow and
Kildare,

? he declared.

“There seems to be a track record for picking Lusk as
an area to locate dumps.

“Of the nine sites identified, half of those are in
Lusk which makes is probable that our area will be

‘blessed’ with the treatment
plant.

?

Concerns and objections raised are now being
considered by technical and environmental specialists before the number of
shortlisted sites is reduced. A new list is expected to be announced in the
coming weeks.

According to project engineer, Peter O’Reilly, Fingal
County Council will hold another round of non-statutory consultation to give
people an opportunity to make their views known after the site list is narrowed
down.

Mr O’Reilly said the project team and consultants will
then conduct a final round of studies to identify the most suitable locations
for the new plant. An announcement is expected possibly towards the end of the
year.

“A full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will
assess in full all potential impacts of the preferred location for each of the
three elements – the wastewater treatment works, the marine outfall and the
orbital sewer,

? stated Mr O’Reilly.

The new plant is needed to augment the Ringsend
regional wastewater treatment works after 2020 and will be developed in phases.

Engineers say that when it opens, the new plant will
be no bigger than a sixth of the size of the Ringsend plant.

Even when fully extended by 2040, the facility will
not be any more than one third of the size of the fully extended Ringsend
plant.

The council says the plant is needed to protect the
environment and secure the future economic, commercial, industrial and
residential needs of the Greater Dublin Area after 2020. A video presentation of the project can be viewed by clicking this link.