A Co Wicklow businessman who put the drinking water in Blessington at risk of contamination by illegally dumping "dry industrial waste" there has had his sentence adjourned by Judge Katherine Delahunt.
John Healy (67), who owns Blessington Plant Hire and then owned Blue Bins Ltd, collected waste from local companies before dumping it over a four- year period on a small seven-acre site called Dillon's Down at the Roadstone (Dublin) Ltd site in Blessington.
Healy, Crosscool Harbour, Blessington, pleaded guilty yesterday at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to disposing of waste at Roadstone in a manner likely to cause environmental pollution and to disposing of it without a license under the Waste Management Act 1996 between January 1st, 1997 and October 31st, 2001.
Donal O'Leary, who was employed as an independent environmental consultant to assess the site, said he found "no engineered or probable natural barrier there" between the waste and the ground water.
This ground water was the drinking water source for homes and businesses in Blessington and Mr O'Leary found contaminants in it, which he said were in excess of standard drinking water guidelines. He said the contaminants were consistent with what would have seeped from the waste dumped on the site.
Mr O'Leary accepted a suggestion from defence counsel, Shane Murphy SC, that the risk he apprehended at the time "was happily not borne out", but added that it was reasonable for him to assume the risk at the time.
Det Sgt Gerry McGrath told prosecuting counsel Éanna Mulloy SC, that gardaí received a complaint from Wicklow County Council in August 2001 after litter warden Bill Ryan thought it suspicious that a substantial amount of waste had been dumped at Roadstone.
Gardaí carried out an extensive search of materials dumped and were able to trace it back to various local companies who it later transpired had all availed of the services of Blue Bins Ltd.
Healy was questioned and admitted to running Blue Bins, but denied any involvement in illegal dumping at the site until he made frank admissions a year later following five Garda interviews.
Det Sgt McGrath said Healy claimed that he had denied responsibility at first because he was in fear of being associated with much-publicised allegations in the local and national media at the time, in relation to dumping of hazardous hospital waste at Roadstone.
Healy admitted he never asked permission to dump the waste, which he said equated to be between 2,000 and 2,500 tonnes a year. He saw no harm in what he was doing because it was not hazardous material and he believed the amounts being dumped were relatively small.
Cecil Shine, a geologist and defence witness, told Mr Murphy that he assessed the site and concluded that the dry industrial waste Healy claimed he dumped there would have had a "relatively low risk" of polluting the lands, plants, animals and water at the site.
Mr Murphy asked Judge Delahunt to accept that his client was not part of "an enormous commercial enterprise" transporting vast amounts of waste from around the country and dumping it in Wicklow. He said Healy showed remorse, embarrassment and shame for his actions having led a blameless commercial life. Healy had sold land and had set aside €300,000 to offer the court.