An examination of the disused 149-acre toxic mining pond at Silvermines, Co Tipperary is to be made by members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Marine and Natural Resources.
The visit to the Tailings Pond and other polluted mine sites in the area will be made next Tuesday. The committee is looking into the issues surrounding the rehabilitation of the mine sites, the delays in finalising plans, and the legislation needed to facilitate the reforms.
Labour Party senator, Ms Kathleen O'Meara who requested the meeting, said yesterday the visit would highlight the need for action at national level on this environmental issue.
"I believe there is foot-dragging going on in relation to this matter and we need to hear a clear agenda for action from the Government on the clean up of the Tailings and other mine sites in Silvermines." Local people from Gortmore plan to make a submission to the committee at a normal meeting in a few weeks.
The site visit was to allow TDs and senators who had never seen the area to get a feel for the magnitude of the environmental problem being faced by the people of Silvermines. The Government had failed to live up to its responsibility to clean up old mine sites and restore the area, said Senator O'Meara.
Last May, Silvermines residents met the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, at the site. The meeting was organised to highlight concerns about toxic dust blowing from the pond, human health concerns and the detection of elevated levels of lead in animals.
In 2002 the Department of Marine and Natural Resources presented a report on the presence of heavy and toxic metals and suspected lead and zinc poisoning following years of mining in the area. The report revealed that the rehabilitation of the entire Silvermines area would cost €5.2 million. However, the four-year remedial plan to prevent pollution cannot go ahead until legislation is drafted in relation to the matter. Legislation needs to address organisational structures to assume control and payment of the rehabilitation works before they can be carried out. Silvermines, near Nenagh, has a long history of mining but the local lead and zinc mine was shut down in 1982. Dust blows have since occurred in the vicinity of the Tailings pond named after the by-product "tailings" deposited near the mine.