The Green Party has renewed calls for an independent investigation into the continuing odour problems caused by the wastewater treatment plant in Ringsend, Dublin, three years after its official opening.
The €300 million plant was opened on June 30th, 2003, by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. It brought an end to the dumping of more than 40 million gallons of raw sewage into Dublin Bay each day.
But residents living around the plant have experienced serious odour problems since it began operating and attempts by Dublin City Council to fix the problem have not been entirely successful.
Local deputy and Green Party chairman John Gormley said that Dublin City Council is only now at the early stages of an "Odour Action Programme" which began in March and is not due for completion until June 2007.
"We all hope that the current works programme will bring this matter to a close, but past experience doesn't give us much reason to be confident," he said.
"Dublin City Council has now belatedly opened its own investigation into the plant, but it is not good enough for the Government to wash its hands of the matter. The Department of the Environment must conduct its own investigation and reveal who is responsible for this cock-up."
A spokeswoman for Dublin City Council outlined improvements that have been carried out at the plant, including a refit of the sludge treatment plant and installation of additional equipment to burn off gases.
She said phase one of the Odour Action Programme would be completed shortly and further works would finish by the summer of 2007.
