Councillor prepared to march on Uisce Éireann HQ over sewage issue

A Mayo councillor has said he is prepared to lead a protest march on Uisce Éireann's headquarters as frustration mounts over a lack of action in delivering a new wastewater treatment plant in Newport.

Cllr Brendan Mulroy vented his anger at the monthly meeting of Mayo County Council, saying the situation has become ‘farcical’ as delays continue to dog the long-awaited project. It has been estimated that the plant will be not upgraded until at least 2030 despite raw sewage flowing into Newport Bay.

A local lobby group, Newport Sewage Concern Group was set up last year. It aims to raise awareness about the ongoing discharge of untreated sewage into the bay, pressuring Uisce Éireann to fulfil its long-standing promise to build a sewage treatment plant.

“It’s so frustrating and there is nobody really listening, This has been brought across Europe and Dáil Éireann and yet Uisce Éireann get away with it scot-free,” said the exasperated Westport councillor. “It’s just not good enough. How can we help the people of Newport when Uisce Éireann is answerable to nobody,” he added.

The Fianna Fail councillor said a protest at the headquarters of the company might be the only way they get noticed.

“I am going to propose that the elected members of Mayo County Council, along with the officials, go and protest at the Uisce Éireann headquarters at the closest date we can get,” said Cllr Mulroy.

He said the council and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also have to be held accountable for what has happened in Newport.

“Mayo County Council previously had been in control of the sewage in Newport and was certified by the EPA every year that it was being treated only for it to be discovered years later that ‘treated’ meant being held in a holding tank and sent out to sea. That happened on Mayo County Council’s watch and happened in our own environmental section,” commented Cllr Mulroy.

He was backed by Independent councillor John O’Malley who said raw sewage has flowed into the bay since 1965.

“Can you imagine how polluted Newport Bay is and how it has been gotten away with for so many years? Uisce Eireann are paying no heed to us at all."