Sir, - A Fingal County Council spokesman is quoted in your paper today as saying: "We want to reassure people that the dump in Balleally is run to very high standards".
I wonder what he means by "high". Balleally is an unsealed tiphead. Rainwater filtering through it leaches poisons into Rogerstown estuary. A dense plume of leachate is visible at the top of the estuary and into this the Council pumps the raw sewage from Lusk.
As a result the entire estuary is polluted. A study commissioned by the Council found salmonella in the estuary along with other viruses and bacteria, as well as zinc, copper mercury and silver levels in excess of EU directives. The study recommended the immediate sealing of the tiphead and the removal of the sewage outlet. Having paid for the report, the Council has ignored its findings and is still polluting the estuary.
"High standards" indeed. - Yours, etc.,
Rush Co. Dublin