Court move set to delay Mutton Island sewage plan

CONSTRUCTION of the Mutton Island sewage plant faces delays of at least two years due to a court action taken by the Save Galway Bay group.

Galway city manager, Mr Joe Gavin, confirmed the delay of the £23 million project while a judicial review was under way.

This announcement comes as official data confirms that four of the city's main beaches are regularly polluted as raw sewage continues to be discharged into inner Galway Bay.

City councillors agree that the mayor, Mr Micheal O hUiginn (FF), should approach SGB and ask that, given the "very serious delay" in question, it withdrew its application initiated in the High Court last month. A withdrawal of the action is highly unlikely, however.

Ms Margaret Cox (FF), with two Labour councillors, abstained on the proposal and asked the corporation to look at alternative sites since it was possible the case could be lost. But this was voted down.

There was anger among pro-Mutton Island councillors after Mr Gavin warned that ancillary sewerage development in Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the city's largest suburban areas, could not proceed until the case was concluded.

The delay could have serious implications for new development and job creation, he said. The pollution of bathing waters would continue, while there was now no prospect of a treatment plant by the year 2000 to meet EU requirements.

It was unclear whether funds committed by the Government for the scheme - the EU turned down funding for it on environmental grounds - would remain available, he warned.

"Efforts are being made in certain quarters to stop development in Galway which adds to the sewage load until the question of the treatment of the waste water is resolved. If such actions are successful, there would be major implications for the growth and development of the city and for job creation."

The delay due to the court action was "a sad and unbelievable development", Mr Fintan Coogan (FG) said. In the interest of public health, the legal process should he speeded up.

A report confirming polluted beaches should convince people of the need for a treatment works as soon as possible, Mr Padraig McCormack TD (FG) said. He knew people who had got infections from swimming in the bay. "It's just crazy what we are doing. It's killing this city. It's killing tourism."

Mrs Bridie O'Flaherty (PD) said she resented a few people, who were not elected public representatives, "rising up out of the ashes and stopping this development going ahead".

The Corporation has agreed to look at interim measures to control the effects of discharges into the mouth of the River Corrib - eight million gallons of raw sewage are discharged daily into inner Galway Bay.

Disputing corporation claims on the impact of the delay, Cllr Cox said: "The decision to locate at Mutton Island was taken when technology options were not what they are today."