Motion passed on Ringsend water plant

Dublin City Council last night passed a motion calling for a full independent investigation to be carried out into the operation of the waste water treatment plant at Ringsend.

The €300 million plant was established under a public private partnership arrangement in 2003 to deal with the city's sewage and improve the water quality in Dublin Bay. However, since it opened local residents have complained of intermittent foul smells from the facility.

Leader of the Labour group on Dublin City Council Kevin Humphreys, who proposed the motion, said that the public private partnership deal for the plant had not delivered as promised.

He said that there now had to be accountability to the taxpayer which could only be achieved through an independent investigation.

The Assistant Dublin City Manager (Engineering Department) Matt Twomey said the council had a written undertaking from the three parent companies involved in the project and that the bulk of the work which needed to be carried out on the plant would be completed by the summer.

However, he said there were a number of items that would take a little longer.

Dublin City Manager John Fitzgerald said the problems had gone on a lot longer than had been anticipated. However, he said the council had brought every pressure to bear to have these addressed.

He said experts had already been brought in and had advised on solutions.

Cllr Brian Gillen, Fine Gael, who seconded the motion said that there was a fundamental issue of trust at stake between those running the plant, the city council and the community.

Cllr Dáithí Doolan, Sinn Féin, said that the plant had been heralded as a solution but that now it was a problem.