The Green Party chairman and TD for Dublin South East Mr John Gormley has made an official complaint to the European Commission about the operation of a new sewage treatment plant in Ringsend, which is in his constituency.
Mr Gormley this afternoon published the text of a letter sent earlier this month to the head of the European Commission's legal unit in Brussels.
He said the plant, which was billed as Europe's most modern, is experiencing serious technical difficulties.
"This is resulting not only in a very bad smell locally but also in poorer than expected
water quality, as 25 per cent of the sewage sludge is now going into the bay twice a week," Mr Gormley wrote.
He said he believed the way the plant is currently operating is in breach of EU directive
75/442/EEC. Mr Gormley said he understands the Commission has already been in correspondence with the Government on the matter and he asks the body to fully investigate the problem.
Mr Gormley claimed that last summer local residents found, very often, that they could not go outside to enjoy the sunshine and had to keep their windows closed, such was the
severity of the smell.
"Another summer of odour nuisance would, frankly, be intolerable," he wrote.
Mr Matt Twomey of Dublin City Council defended the operation of the plant saying equipment had been ordered to correct the problem and that it should be addressed within a few weeks.