This article is from page 4 of the 2013-10-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
LOCAL representatives are blaming companies in Shannon for causing the foul smell which has been present in the town for the last four weeks. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which have been testing in Shannon for the last three weeks, briefed local representatives last Wednesday and concluded that the Shannon sewage treatment and local sewage system was the source of the odour. The sewage plant, which will cost in excess of € 20 million to upgrade, services local residences as well as a number of large businesses in the Shannon area. A number of local representatives, including Fine Gael councillor Sean McLoughlin, believe that the run off from some local businesses may be to blame. “The Shannon treatment plant is similar to treatment plants in towns of a similar size all around Ireland and they don’t have a problem like this smell,” he told The Clare People yesterday. “The EPA are saying that the treat ment plant is not up to scratch, but what a number of us are questioning is the different materials which are going into the treatment system. The people of Shannon produce as much waste as the people any where else in the country so you have to look at the common denominator, which is the industries in Shannon.” Cllr McLoughlin said that the smell has been like receiving as “punch in the nose” each morning. “The smell has been very bad in Shannon for the past four weeks but it has been an ongoing problem for a long time. People describe in in different ways but to me it is like a very intense sulfur smell. I walked out of my house one morning last week and it was like getting a punch in the nose,” he said. “It will cost a lot of money to upgrade the treatment plant but something has to be done. The people of Shannon cannot continue to live with this smell.” The Environmental Protection Agency were called into investigate the odour in early October. The agency have concluded that while the smell is of public annoyance, it does not at present poise any immediate threat to people’s well being.