Galway Bay fm newsroom - A report has found there has been significant under-reporting of the discharge of untreated wastewater in Galway City.
An Taisce also claims that Mutton Island Wastewater Treatment Plant does not have sufficient capacity to treat the wastewater being direct to it from Galway City, Oranmore and Barna.
An Taisce contends that based on an analysis of multiple incidences of untreated wastewater being discharged into the River Corrib and Galway Bay - both the public and the EPA have not been informed of the extent of the discharge of untreated wastewater.
The report claims that Mutton Island Wastewater Treatment Plant does not have sufficient capacity to treat the wastewater being direct to it from Galway City, Oranmore and Barna.
It adds this is even without consideration for visitors, or for projected future increases in the population in the city and surrounding areas.
An Taisce argues that either the capacity must be increased, or a new waste water treatment plant must be built for the east of Galway City, Oranmore and Athenry.
It also advises that the EPA modify the license for the Mutton Island plant, limiting it to a stated maximum number of city and county households.
It says this number should be set that the City Council and Irish Water can guarantee to treat waste water without recourse to any untreated sewage flowing into the River Corrib or Galway Bay, apart from very infrequent high rainfall.
Among the findings of the report are that frequent discharges of wastewater containing untreated sewage have been discharged into Galway Bay at Ballyloughane for the past 10 years.
An Taisce further contends that the City Council has known about this since 2014, but has not disclosed all instances to the EPA, nor has it made any attempt to eliminate raw sewage entering the sea at Ballyloughane through storm pipes.
Also noted are frequent discharges of untreated sewage into the River Corrib and onwards into Galway Bay, which again have allegedly not been reported by Galway City Council and Irish Water as individual Incidents to the EPA.
