Fears have been expressed that toxic chemicals from the site of a former tannery in Co Waterford could contaminate the main water supply for Waterford city.
The tannery in Portlaw, which has been closed for a number of years, is located 150 metres from the main water intake for east Waterford, which includes the city.
The Irish Leathers tannery plant was established along with other associated industries on the site of an old cotton mill founded in the early 19th century by the Malcolmsons, a prominent Quaker family.
The site covers approximately 28 acres and is just 12 kilometres from Waterford city. The River Clodiagh flows along the southern and western perimeters of the site, with a canal adjacent to it - a feature of the former cotton factory.
A preliminary investigation ordered by Waterford County Council in May 2001 recommended spending upwards of €75,000 on a further survey to assess the dangers of contamination from the site. The council's inaction since then and a lack of information on potential dangers from the site have angered a local Fine Gael councillor, Mr Paudie Coffey, who has called for action to be taken before human health is endangered.
"I want Waterford County Council, the Department of the Environment and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take immediate action. Nothing has been done since I called for a detailed report into the condition of the site three years ago," Mr Coffey said.
Some 3.65 acres of untreated industrial waste is contained in a mill pond at the former tannery complex. While scraps of leather are still visible on the ground, the composition of the waste has not been determined. However, a report produced in 2001 by MCOS Consulting Engineers stated that it could be presumed that most of the waste generated from the tannery had been placed there.
The 28-page report, which has been seen by The Irish Times, states: "This included waste chemicals, sludge from the filter beds and sedimentation tanks, fleshings, trimmings and waste leather. The chemicals would have included materials such as chromates, dyestuffs and acids."
The site has had a troubled history. In July 1986, International Hide and Skin was successfully prosecuted by Waterford County Council after the disposal of some 3,000 gallons of animal blood directly into the intake works of the East Waterford Water Supply Scheme, which is located on the River Clodiagh opposite the tannery site.
In October 1987, following numerous discharges from its premises into the canal, a Section 23 notice was issued to International Hide and Skin under the Local Government (Water Pollution) Act, 1979.
The company was told by Waterford County Council in September 1989 that its disposal of waste in Portlaw contravened European waste regulations. It was further directed to cease dumping operations on the property.
A warning notice under the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1963 was served on the company for the unauthorised development of a landfill site. However, a subsequent prosecution failed as the company produced evidence that the mill pond had been used as a dump for tannery waste prior to enactment of the 1963 legislation.
During removal of waste chemical drums from the site in 1995, seepage was noticed in the area.
Another area of concern referred to in the 2001 report was the canal - "a likely area of contamination, as it received effluent from all areas of the site". Filter beds contained the bulk of the effluent before it was disposed in the canal via the weir. "As this effluent was untreated, it is also an area of probable contamination," it stated.