The Green Party has called for action from Dublin City Council after reports that diluted sewage sludge is being discharged into Dublin Bay.
As much as a quarter of the sludge arriving at a new treatment plant in Ringsend on some days is diluted with water before being discharged, according to the report on RTE this evening.
The Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Plant processes effluent from more than 1.25 million people in the capital
Green Party Chairman and Ringsend resident, Mr John Gormley, asked why Dublin City Council was "continuing to pump sewage sludge into the bay and why is the problem of odour nuisance not being dealt with properly?"
"It now appears that the plant, when running at full capacity, can't cope properly with the amount of sewage it receives. This presents enormous problems for the future given that the Dublin continues to grow.
"This plant was presented as a state of the art plant. It was enthusiastically endorsed by the Green Party and supported by the majority of the residents.
"In fact it was the Green Party which amended the Dublin Bay plan so as to include nitrogen removal and UV treatment of sewage. However there is now huge disappointment with Dublin City Council and the contractors."