Opponents of a large landfill dump site proposed to serve Limerick city and much of the county have issued an environmental report which suggests that the location in a remote part of the Slieve Felim mountains is "inherently unsuitable".
Its findings indicate that Limerick County Council, which plans to develop the 180-acre dump on an elevated site in the eastern part of the county, "could not have chosen a more unsuitable location", according to the Slieve Felim Action Group. The report has been submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency, which has final say in granting a waste management licence.
Speaking at a press conference in Limerick yesterday, action group spokesman Mr David Thompson said the unanimous view of the scientists who contributed to the report was that "the proposed mega-dump site on Slieve Felim is intrinsically unsuitable".
The proposal conflicts with national and EU waste management policies which place a priority on waste reduction and the use of landfill as a last resort, it claims. Equally, the county council had not demonstrated an adequate need for a large landfill or its long-term financial viability based on such policies.
The proposal was the equivalent of building a septic tank on top of a house, Mr Thompson said, only that the site was more than 25 times larger than Croke Park and its waste mounds would be the height of the Cusack Stand. It was also being located where liquid discharges would be difficult to control.
The report suggests that the use of the Coillte-owned site conflicted with site selection criteria spelt out in the council's own environmental impact statement. It was also adjacent to important heritage sites and close to a significant salmon river, the Mulkear.
Environmental consultant Mr Jack O'Sullivan, who compiled the report, said it provided a convincing indication that the development should not proceed at such a sensitive location. He claimed it was based on a more extensive evaluation than the council's EIS completed by MC O'Sullivan and Co.
"Initially, the site seemed suitable because it is isolated. It quickly became obvious that it is incredibly unsuitable. I can see why the council chose it, because it's quite remote. In their pure innocence, they thought there would be no objections," Mr Jack O'Sullivan said.
A Slieve Felim Action Group member is to mount a legal challenge over the absence of the proposed site from the county development plan. "We believe a development of this size should be on the county plan," Mr Thompson said.
The group believes the EPA will take on board its extensive scientific assessment. However, its political campaign seeking a change of heart by local politicians seems difficult given the waste problems in west Limerick.
