This article is from page 17 of the 2013-11-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 17 JPG
THE noxious smell that has plagued the residents of Shannon has made it all the way to Dáil Eireann.
The foul odour was the subject of a question to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government by Sinn Fein’s Deputy Brian Stanley on the request of his Shannon party colleague Mike McKee, when he asked for an update on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigation into the stench.
The EPA advised the minister that investigations to date indicate that the source of the odour appears to be the sewer network in Shannon.
“Investigative efforts will be focused on the sewer collection net- work including all discharges to the network and improvements that may be beneficial at Shannon town’s wastewater treatment plant. The EPA and Clare County Council, with the assistance of the HSE, have put in place an action programme for further monitoring and investigation,” said the minister.
The Government bodies will continue to monitor the smell as well as any unusual patterns of illness in the local population.
“The odour problem remains under active and detailed investigation by the EPA and Clare County Council. The EPA has been liaising with local public representatives as well as local media to disseminate information to the public and will continue to do so while the investigation is ongoing and until the situation is remedied.
“The EPA has also informed my department that it monitored air quality in Shannon between March 2012 and June 2013, measuring a range of pollutants that are the most important indicators for assessing impact on human health. All measured pollutant levels were found to be below EU limit values,” explained the minister.