Hazardous waste found at former dumps in Co Galway

Toxic and hazardous waste has been discovered at two sites in Co Galway and may be present at a third, The Irish Times has been told.

The sites are two former corporation dumps at Carrowbrowne on the Galway-to-Headford road, at Riverside near the city centre and at Cross New Inn in the east of the county. Toxic chemicals are allegedly present at the Riverside site while asbestos material has been found at Cross New Inn.

Galway Corporation confirmed last evening that it had investigated and identified the presence of hazardous waste on the Riverside site.

The waste is still in situ and planning permission has since been granted by the corporation for a housing development there.

The corporation was alerted to the presence of the waste in October 2000, by an internal report prepared by a staff engineer, Mr Michael Joyce.

In assessing the site for housing development, Mr Joyce concluded the site was "most problematic", and would constitute a serious hazard to future residents.

According to Mr Jimmy Swanick, chairman of the residents' association, a combination of mercury, ethyl and phosphate was dumped on the site. Mr Swanick said a man who was aware of the dumping at the time it occurred, believed to be more than 20 years ago, was willing to testify as to what went into the dump if he was guaranteed immunity from prosecution.

Mr Joe O'Neill of Galway Corporation said last night the corporation was aware of the allegations of hazardous waste, but he said all the waste was "still there. Nothing has been taken out".

Meanwhile, the county council said it was investigating reports of asbestos dumping at a site in the Cross New Inn.