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Showing posts with label Irish Water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Irish Water. Show all posts
Enda Craig on how the judicial process can dash expectations and not deliver justice. 

“Gentlemen, can I have a moment of your time please….” 

With that my Senior Counsel invited us to join him in a semi-quiet corner of the bull-ring in the Four Courts building of the High Court of Ireland. 

I’m sorry to have to tell you this but your case is lost. Based on the judge that has been appointed here today to run your case I can confidently predict that you will lose it. I do not want to see you attending a four day hearing and wondering how it is progressing. I am extremely embarrassed at having to give you this news but feel it is only right that I should.

Our campaign, objecting to a proposal by Donegal County Council / Irish Water to build a WWTP (Wastewater Treatment Plant) on the shores of Lough Foyle with associated discharge adjacent to the pristine bathing waters, was now in its 26th year and recognised as the State’s longest running environmental / legal battle. 

Substantial resources, research and determination had been deployed by the local community to protect the waters and the environment of a most beautiful area. Being told we would get a hearing of sorts but that the Courts would bury us regardless was a difficult pill to swallow. It seemed challenging the authority of the State was a step too far. 

The actual court case (Judicial Review of the previous permission granted by An Bord Pleanala) would not take place for a further ten weeks giving plenty of time to contemplate our predicted demise and to spread the word amongst our community who had invested so much trust, belief and hope in the campaign and especially in the notion that we would receive a fair adjudication in the highest court in the land. 

In the running of the case the “learned” one displayed rampant hostility to our legal team while giving an open road to the opposition. But who is that solitary stranger that each day sits alone amongst the courtroom benches typing away on his laptop? 

Ten weeks further on we attended at the Four Courts for the delivery of the “learned” one’s judgement. Ours was second on the list. The Court was full of the gowned and wigged who had come to hear the judgements of their client’s cases. The first to receive “justice” was a lay litigant in Judicial Review against the State’s revenue commissioners concerning his case of bankruptcy. This gentleman was treated in such a vile and abusive fashion that it almost defies description. This I have already detailed in a previous article. Not long into the reading of “his” judgement on my case I said to my solicitor it’s obvious that he has not seen this document before. The solicitor replied it was done up for him by An Bord Pleanala. “Oh for Christ’s sake” I said “That’s who I had taken my case against…..”. He didn’t reply. 

The “learned” one finally finishes “his” impartial judgement by refusing me “leave” and continued by going on to wish the Donegal County Council / Irish Water God’s speed with their long overdue plant and pipe which had been held up for far too long. He then invited the legal teams of Donegal County Council / Irish Water and An Bord Pleanala if they would like to make an ' application ' based on what he had just read out. It now transpired he had every intention of laying the legal fees of Donegal County Council / Irish Water and An Bord Pleanala against me if I dared appeal “his” judgement to the Supreme Court. To avoid this obscene blackmail I had to write a begging letter not to apply the fees as I had no intention of appealing with such a perverse financial threat hanging over me. 

While discussing the details of the “learned” one’s appalling blackmail I noticed the stranger who had attended the court case every day and was smiling quite broad by now in our vicinity. When I strongly enquired what was causing him so much amusement he immediately apologised and stated that he was smiling for reasons other that what I thought. “Believe it or not” he said:

this is the best day yet of your long running campaign to date. I will help you take this decision to Brussels where it will be seen for the nonsense it is and you will win. 

The mystery individual was none other than Mr Peter Sweetman, renowned expert on European Environmental Law, who had heard about our case and decided to take an interest. He was as good as his word. He took us on the road to Europe. The Commission upgraded my complaint to Formal, found against the Government, and gave them the choice of amending their defective legislation or face the European Court Of Justice in Luxembourg. The legislation was immediately amended, Irish Water had to abandon their illegal project and the “learned” one’s obscene judgement (or should I say An Bord Pleanala’s) was dumped in the bin where it self-evidently deserved to be. 

Later that morning in the Four Courts while discussing my own situation I was approached by two senior journalists. They wanted to know if I had any comment to make regarding the outcome of my own proceedings. I asked them to let me know firstly what they intended writing about Mr Johnston's case (lay litigant and the Revenue Commissioners) and his abuse by the 'learned' one. They both laughed and said:

you must be joking .... If we reported one word about what happened in there we would never (and here they pointed to the entrance) see the insides of these courts again ...

I told them that I thought them both a pair of cowardly fuckers and a disgrace to their profession and invited them to print that at their leisure. They shrugged their shoulders, turned away and said ......." that's just the way it is ." 

On the way out of the Four Courts that day I looked up at the statue of Lady Justice, depicted with a set of scales suspended from her left hand, upon which she measures the strengths of a case's support and opposition and felt a strong sensation of disbelief and hypocrisy.

⏩ Enda Craig is spokesperson for Lough Foyle group, Community For A Clean Estuary.

A High Court Experience

Enda Craig keeps readers up to date on what is happening in the weird world of Irish Water.

ABP Decision: It is considered that the potential for significant adverse effects on the environment arising from the proposed Moville Sewerage Scheme cannot be ruled out and accordingly, that the preparation of an Environmental Impact Assessment Report is required.

This is welcome news and vindication for the Moville Environmental Group, Community For A Clean Estuary, who fought tooth and nail for this past thirty years stating that the legislation being applied by Donegal County Council and Irish Water was defective.

Our warning, repeated many times, was ignored by Donegal County Council, by Irish Water, by the EPA and also by the High Court of Ireland.

Finally, our statement re the defective legislation was accepted in 2016 by the European Commission in Brussels when they stated:

I would like to clarify that Article 2(1) applies to cases in which the relevant authorities have concluded that there is a significant impact on the environment, following a screening process. I would like to reiterate that in our view the EIA Directive applies in a case such as Moville and that an EIA screening process was required and will be required before any future decision could be taken under new legislation. If a future screening process determines that there would be significant impact on the environment, then indeed paragraph 76 of the judgment would be relevant. 

Had we not campaigned against the initial proposal then the beautiful beaches and bathing waters between Moville and Greencastle would have been decimated in the same way that happened to Ladies Bay in Buncrana where the people there allowed a similar type plant and discharge to be built and operated in 1990. It is now under proposal for a major upgrade having caused substantial environmental degradation from its inception.

Of the utmost importance is one of the conditions laid down in the ABP ruling which states:

( vii ) having regard to the ecological sensitivity of the receiving environment, including the commercial shellfish resources, bathing waters and biodiversity.

This requirement will give local fishermen on Lough Foyle the opportunity to make submissions regarding concerns they may have in relation to fish stocks, shellfish etc.

The Reality Of So-Called Treated Sewage Effluent

Something else that is not generally understood...

the level of 'treatment ' at the plant will be dependent on the dilution and assimilation properties in the receiving waters found at the discharge point of the pipe.

People tend to think that All the treatment takes place at the plant which is completely wrong as in this case.

Most of the treatment will be based on the notion of  'marine treatment' and we all know what that means.

It is the reason there is an exclusion zone in the vicinity of the discharge to allow the ' treated ' effluent to reduce in content and intensity. 

The fishermen have every right to be concerned.

Already a local fisherman has outlined the potential harm that the proposed sewage discharge could cause to the ecosystem and fish stocks etc in the vicinity of the proposed discharge point at Carnagarve.

 This map highlights the important eco system and marine life that
is currently on site at the point where they intend to discharge the sewage effluent 

Also of great interest will be the pollution map which was generated by the consultants in relation to the anticipated dispersal of raw untreated sewage along the coastline between Redcastle and Kinnago Bay in the event of an emergency breakdown or unforeseen discharge into Lough Foyle.

This, their own map which was hidden from the public but quite clearly shows the dispersal of raw sewage hugging the coastline. This omission was not explained satisfactorily to CFCE and that, as it stands, is a disgraceful example of withholding important and relevant information. Why would you go to the expense and trouble of compiling a complicated dispersal map if, as they state, there would never be any occasion for its use or its findings.

 
This, their own map, which shows raw sewage hugging the coast from Redcastle to Kinnego Bay polluting the water and beaches as it goes. It is their map not ours. It is important to understand that this map was hidden from the local community and only came to light when it was discovered by Oceanographer Mr Mike Quinnell from Singapore while carrying out research for our group. 

Discovery of this map and the fact that it was hidden caused a serious breach of trust in relation to what now, if anything, we can believe. This breakdown of trust continues to the present day since more and more concerns are coming to light and we are not getting satisfactory answers.

This will not be allowed to happen this time.

All potential adverse effects on the effluent receiving waters will have to be outlined in truthful detail to allow the local community to see and weigh the consequences of the proposal.

Numerous highly regarded experts have stated that this plant and pipe should not, under any circumstances, be located inside the environs of the Foyle estuary.

Karin Dubsky, BA, MSc Coastal Ecologist (Lecturer in Trinity College Dublin): 

The discharge for the planned treatment plant should be relocated to ensure it is also suitable from a biodiversity point of view.

Dr. Mike Quinnell, Oceanographer, Singapore:

The current model was not tuned to match local conditions, and the effluent dispersion model used the un-tuned current model. It is my opinion that all results of the effluent dispersion model are invalid.

Also the following have come out against the plant location and the discharge into Lough Foyle: Professor Ronnie Russell, Microbiologist TCD, EU Commission, Peter Sweetman Expert on EU Env Leg, Members of Donegal Co Cl., Various TD's, MEP's. Local Doctors etc.

Precautionary Principle: "Measures which prevent environmental damage from the start are preferred over measures to restore an already damaged environment."

This will be a long term project and it must be properly planned and engineered from the outset.

That means especially having due regard to the proper European laws and regulations.

That is something that Irish Water did not adhere to on the previous occasion. 

Coming to Moville with glossy pamphlets, spin and propaganda will not suffice.

The open sea is readily accessible north of Greencastle.

The difference between listening and not listening to public opinion.

 
 
The decision by local Co Derry Councils, Limavady and Causeway Coast, to take on board the good advice from the Loughs Agency and NIEA (Northern Ireland Environmental Authority) is complete opposite to Irish Water’s claim of listening to public opinion. There it was decided to change the plan and discharge into the open sea beyond Magilligan Point thereby safeguarding the shellfish and beaches in the environs of Lough Foyle. This entailed the trenching of the discharge pipe across country a distance of 3.5 kilometers and an outfall pipe a distance of 280 metres into the open sea.

In contrast, Irish Water is not taking on board CFCE’s advice but instead insist on trenching their proposed discharge pipe through a sea-grass bed. This bed was identified by Karin Dubsky as both precious and rare. The pipe will also disrupt a local native oyster bed. Irish Water are also proposing to shorten the length of the outfall pipe by 100 meters, from 300m to 200m.

It seems, Irish Water will listen to no one as they plough on with a quick fix to try and avert the Irish Government's day of reckoning in the European Court of Justice where it could face being levied with massive daily fines for neglecting their responsibilities.

With proper plant design and suitable treatment the discharge can be accommodated by a long sea-outfall with a guarantee of minimal potential environmental damage to the receiving waters, bathing beaches and shoreline walks.

➽ Enda Craig is spokesperson for Lough Foyle group, Community For A Clean Estuary.

An Bord Pleanala Lays Down The Law To Irish Water

Enda Craig ➤ People in Moville town and surrounding areas are all of the one mind and that is we need a WWTP (Water Waste Treatment Plant) very badly. All agreed.

But it is only right that a proposal that has the potential to do untold harm is subjected to scrutiny to see that we are not being sold a pup. 

It is on that basis that the Community For a Clean Estuary examined the plans and found them badly wanting. It was not only the CFCE that found them defective but the overall authority in Brussels .. the European Commission. 

People in this locality should speak to Buncrana residents and find out what happened their local beauty spot and bathing waters at Ladies Bay. It was turned into an open sewer after DCC built and commissioned a similar plant to what they proposed for Moville/Greencastle in 1990 - an environmental disaster. 

Check it out ... See For Example Urgent calls for upgrade works to sewerage treatment plant in Buncrana. 

Had it not been for the intervention of the CFCE we would now find ourselves in a similar position between Moville and Greencastle..... 

The very least people should do is read the articles and if they have questions and concerns then voice them. At least come from a position of understanding and together we can solve this problem without the divide and conquer strategy being deployed by Irish Water.

 ➽ Enda Craig is spokesperson for Lough Foyle group, Community For A Clean Estuary.

Proposed Moville Sewage Treatment Plant

Joe Dalton on Why the tolerance of Irish businesses refusing to pay for water needs to end.

There is a uniquely strong culture in Ireland that believes water should be free at the point of use. This led to the successful campaign to abolish domestic water charges following their attempted introduction in 2014. This culture also appears to extend to many in the business community, despite commercial charges being present in Ireland for many years.
Poor Payment Culture

At the height of the economic boom of the so called “Celtic Tiger”, commercial billing collection efficiency never exceeded 66%[1]. Therefore, at least 34% of commercial users of water seemed to think that they should be exempted from paying for water as well.
Prior to the establishment of Irish Water, the 34 local authorities each had their own commercial charging arrangements. This resulted in a vast array of commercial charges, with the most expensive Council (Wicklow) being almost double the cheapest (Kildare)[2]. Average Commercial Water Charge (€/m3) per Local Authority Area (Expert Commission on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services)

Following the creation of Irish Water, these commercial charges were frozen at their January 2014 level. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) reported that many local authorities had not revised commercial water charges since 2009. Therefore, the Irish taxpayer has effectively protected these businesses from the effects of inflation for an extended period.
Businesses who refuse to pay are stealing from the taxpayer

When the recession hit in 2008, collection efficiency dropped from its peak of 66% to only 52%. Author Michael Brennan reported that Councils were “sympathetic and sensitive” of the challenges businesses faced in what were turbulent economic times.

I would completely share this sensitivity for those commercial users who consistently paid their water bills during the boom times. It is however a bit rich to be sensitive to commercial users who appeared to never have any attention of paying their bills in the first place.

The reality is that commercial enterprises who actively refuse to pay their water bills are stealing water and money from the Irish taxpayer. Yet there seems to be little outrage about this.
Businesses have no right to free water

The CRU finally published its long awaited decision on a consolidated national commercial water charging policy in July of this year (2019) following an extensive consultation process[3]. Such a policy was undoubtedly overdue and arguably should have been prioritised before domestic charges were ever considered.

The governing legislation further allows for Irish Water to disconnect commercial users as a “measure of last resort” if they continually refuse to pay. This is right and proper. The human right to water does not extend to the right to free water to run a business.
Too many excuses

Yet the prospect of Irish Water having a consolidated commercial charging policy, with appropriate regulatory oversight, seems to be concerning the business community and some in local Government. The Industrial Development Authority (IDA) fears that high commercial water bills would hit the profitability of Irish enterprises[4]. Chair of Arklow Municipal District, Councillor Pat Fitzgerald expressed concern at the prospect of Irish Water disconnecting business for refusing to pay[5].

Treated in isolation, the concerns of the IDA and of Councillor Fitzgerald sound reasonable. When factoring in the consultative process that they were free to engage in with the CRU, and the context of the poor payment culture of Ireland’s businesses, they are not. It is unfortunately reflective of the culture in Ireland that businesses should be able to get away without paying for water.

In genuine cases, flexibility should be shown to businesses with cash flow problems. Otherwise, Irish businesses should pay their water bills or face the consequences. No excuses. Anything else is theft.


[1] Reported by Michael Brennan in his book In Deep Water, ISBN: 9781781176580, published by Mercier Press.

[2] Report of the Expert Commission on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services, available at https://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/report-of-expert-commission-on-domestic-public-water-services.pdf

[3] Irish Water’s Non-Domestic Tariff Framework, CRU Decision Paper, Commission for Regulation of Utilities, available at https://mk0cruiefjep6wj7niq.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/CRU19074-CRU-Decision-Paper-Irish-Waters-Non-Domestic-Tariff-Framework-1.pdf

[4] IDA warns Irish Water is adding to Businesses’ costs, article by Michael Brennan in the Business Post, 8th December 2019, available at https://www.businesspost.ie/climate-environment/ida-warns-irish-water-is-adding-to-businesses-costs-0dedcad0

[5] Water supply to be cut if bills not paid, article in Wicklow People, 7th December 2019, available at https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wicklowpeople/news/water-supply-to-be-cut-if-bills-not-paid-38750849.html


Joe Dalton blogs @ Joe's Water Blog 


Follow Joe Dalton on Twitter @JoeEmmetDalton 

Irish Businesses Should Pay Their Water Bills

Joe Dalton offers his take on a book about Irish Water @ Joe's Water Blog - Water Warriors, Profiteers, Heroes and Villains – A view from Ireland and Bahrain.

Michael Brennan, the Business Post political editor, has written a fantastic book, In Deep Water, that chronicles the fiasco of the failed attempt to introduce domestic water charges across Ireland, from before their introduction in 2014 to after their suspension in 2016. It describes the creation of the national water utility “Irish Water”, which took over water service responsibility from 34 local authorities (since consolidated to 31). 

The precision in the writing means that not a word is wasted across the just over 300 pages. This is a political thriller of where water and society meet, which deserves to be widely read. It will appeal to readers on both sides of the water charges argument that gripped Ireland like no other issue in recent years.

Brennan goes for short chapters, which provide a compelling parallel narrative featuring all of the key players including politicians, Government advisors, civil servants, utility staff and anti-water charge protestors. Every one of the 61 chapters packs a punch. It provides a compelling insight into how Government functions and interacts with wider society. 

A Neglected Water Service

The book leaves little doubt that reform of the water sector in Ireland was needed. The chapter “A Neglected Water Service” provides a shocking and infuriating tale of inefficiency under the previous Council regime, with reports of “useless” wastewater treatment plants, raw sewage discharges and lack of knowledge of the location of the water and sewerage networks.

One of the most jaw dropping passages in the book described the unexpected death of a council water technician in Carrick-on-Suir in County Tipperary. He was the only person who knew the location of the water pipe network. It was never recorded on a Geographical Information System (GIS), as is standard practice across the World. I have personally worked with utilities in several African towns with more sophisticated water network mapping than Carrick-on-Suir. 

Government Panic

Reading the book, I was struck by the frequency of the words “panic” and “rushed”. So many flawed decisions with far reaching consequences for Ireland’s water infrastructure were made for blinkered political reasons. Civil servants too often saw their job as unquestionably following Government policy, ignoring advice that countered it.

For example, a patently ludicrous “cost benefit analysis” was prepared to justify the roll out of universal domestic metering. Brennan interestingly highlights that it was prepared by anonymous civil servants, which is apparently a common practice. This surely cannot be right. No one with knowledge of the issue would have appended their names to such a document.

The books gives the lie to the notion that “hindsight” is necessary for understanding the challenges of reforming Ireland’s water sector. Good advice was available at the time. The Government chose not to take it. 

Water Charges Defeated

While the water engineer in me was sorry to see water charges defeated, this book shows why (at least part of) the Irish citizen in me is glad.

The book details positive aspects to their failure, which should be acknowledged. There was an extraordinary comradery among the anti-water charge protestors who had suffered seemingly endless austerity. Brennan refers to the rediscovery of the Irish tradition of meitheal, where neighbours come together to bring home the harvest. A vivid example is given of a Cobh resident who was suffering from depression. The protests gave him a sense of purpose and social inclusion.

Another positive aspect of their failure is the apparent end of the Government obsession with “off balance sheet” spending, what I would argue was the “original sin” of the whole fiasco. It was the Government that underinvested in Ireland’s water infrastructure for decades. Their failed attempt to get Irish Water off the Government’s books was an attempted abdication of responsibility by multiple Government departments. 

Ireland needs Irish Water

“Abolish Irish Water” became a populist cry during the anti-water charge protests. Yet I struggle to understand how anyone who reads this book with an open mind could continue to argue that Ireland doesn’t need a national water utility. Setting it up was the right thing to do.

Former Irish Water Managing Director John Tierney, who declined to be interviewed for the book, was vilified throughout his tenure. In the book he is shown as an honest public servant who commanded the loyalty of his staff while trying to do a very challenging and stressful job. His reluctance to being interviewed is perhaps illustrative of his inability to adequately communicate the utility position during the crucial early stages of the establishment of Irish Water.

The story is not over. Something Brennan only alludes to in the book, but has written about elsewhere, is the tension that exists right up to the present between the Council water workers and Irish Water.

John Tierney was recruited as Managing Director due to his Council background and his apparent ability to get the Council workers on board. This does not appear to have been achieved. The reasons why would make for an interesting afterword.

Michael Brennan, 2019, In Deep Water, How People, Politics and Protests Sank Irish Water.      Mercier Press. ISBN-13: 978-1781176580.


Joe Dalton blogs @ Joe's Water Blog 



Follow Joe Dalton on Twitter @JoeEmmetDalton 

Political Thriller Of Irish Water

Enda Craig responds to Irish Water Statement on their boat obstruction on Lough Foyle on November 13th.

Skipper of the Crystal Dawn Liam O'Brien 
at Greencastle harbour.

In their statement Irish Water, instead of offering a comprehensive apology to the fishermen for being completely in the wrong, decide instead to issue a statement which is a totally disingenuous attempt to blacken the good name of the local fishermen.

The Skipper of the Crystal Dawn, Liam O'Brien, responding to the media statement from Irish Water in relation to an obstruction caused by their hired boat " James " on Thurs morning last at the fishing grounds at Carnagarve on Lough Foyle, comments:

... On approaching the oyster fishery at Carnagarve, on Lough Foyle I noticed a large vessel anchored on the fishing grounds and directly in the path of an oncoming fishing boat that was already engaged in dredging for oysters. .

I called this vessel on my VHF radio and asked him to identify himself and to state his intentions. He gave me his name, the name of the boat and that he was about to commence a survey on behalf of the Department of the Marine which would take twelve hours.

I told him that the DOM always gave the fishermen prior notification of an impending survey and then made agreed arrangements. It was then that he stated that in fact he had been hired in by Irish Water and NOT the Dept. I told him that he was anchored on a designated Native Oyster bed which fishermen were licensed to fish and totally obstructing our day's work which we had already planned and were entitled to carry out. I asked him to alter his position and pointed out several other locations for him to move to which would allow him to continue with his survey and also allow us to continue with our fishing .

To prove that it was actually a designated fishing ground and that we were properly licensed the skipper of the James asked if he could come aboard my boat to view the fishing ground on the boat's computer and to check my licence.

I agreed immediately, produced the boat's fishing license.

He asked if he could he take a photograph of the designated fishing grounds off the computer and I agreed.

He stated he had to be in this precise position only. I stated that we were legally entitled to be here and on the basis that he and Irish Water had not bothered to consult with the local fishermen then I felt, in the circumstances, he was obliged to give way. He accepted the overall position. He stated that he had not been made aware that this was a very important local fishery in that area.

He said they would now lift anchor, return to port and allow us continue, unobstructed, with our day's fishing.

I would also like to state that I contacted the Lough's Agency ( Statutory body in charge of the licensing of Oyster fishing in Lough Foyle ) as I became aware of obstruction being caused by this vessel on the designated Oyster bed.

I asked them to intervene. 

Unbelievably, they stated it was not their concern.
The Irish Water vessel, the James, obstructing the oyster fishing boats out of Greencastle.
⏭ Enda Craig is spokesperson Community For A Clean Estuary

Irish Water Boat Obstruction

Enda Craig slams Irish Water. 

The recent press release from Irish Water is a totally unacceptable misrepresentation of the facts and a smoke screen to cover up Irish Waters gross failings, abuse of power and squandering of public monies.

In their statement they refer to the safety concerns regarding their contractors. This is an absurd and preposterous slur on our local community in Moville and Greencastle and a deliberate attempt to denigrate our legitimate concerns and those of the Lough Foyle Fishermen.

IW through their spin doctors want to divert attention away from their duty of care regarding the introduction of a drilling platform on Lough Foyle. They had consulted with no one and received permission from no one. This cavalier approach is indicative of an attitude that might is right and their way or no way.

Who made this decision, why was it made and at what cost was it made are legitimate questions. Why did they not consult locally and with the local fishermen? Did they consult with the Lough Agency who had received many queries both from fishermen and political representatives? Queries were raised only after there was major concern after the platform was assembled at the end of Carrickarory Pier.

With egg on their face they now play the oldest trick in the book by placing blame elsewhere. The CFCE/ Save the Foyle reject outright Irish Waters malicious slur on our local Community and our Local Fishermen, whose voice must be heard and not shouted down by such insinuations.

Following this debacle we ask someone in Authority in IW to realise that the proposal being pursued is destructive to Lough Foyle, its beaches and fisheries. We repeat that unique terms and conditions apply to Lough Foyle, being a transboundary jurisdictional area. The IW reps agree that the situation is "complicated" but carry on regardless. If they proceed as heretofore they will again run into "unchartered waters" with inevitable consequences for the tax payer. Who will be accountable for this or will they again apportion blame elsewhere?

⏭ Enda Craig is spokesperson Community For A Clean Estuary

Drilling Operation On Lough Foyle ... Don't Shoot The Messenger

Enda Craig keeps readers up to date on the latest threat to community life from Irish Water. 

Not alone is Irish Water's proposed Sewage Discharge Pipe threatening the Shorewalk, Bathing Waters and Beaches between Moville and Greencastle but also threatens the important local Fishery that exists in the vicinity of the discharge pipe as can be seen in this schematic graphic.


The prime Native Oyster's in the red box (108) were harvested in a single ' tow ' by a local fisherman in Oct .2018 giving the lie to the statement's that this is a dead area and of little consequence to local fishermen.

In truth the opposite is the reality.

The above graphic shows a thriving fishery with the various marine species in plentiful supply.

Add to that that the pipe will be gouged through a Sea-grass bed, an official Native Oyster bed. an area used for holding harvested Oysters and through an area on the edge of the shipping channel where the various marine species are in plentiful supply.

Local fishermen are at last recognising the threat to their livelihoods and will now let Irish Water and the Lough's Agency ( who seem to be displaying an unacceptable passive role ) that this lunacy will not be tolerated.


The Irish Water Bulldozer Is Halted In Its Tracks

John McCartney
Tue 06/08/2019 17:30

Enda

As discussed I have had communication from Irish Water by telephone following a series of discussions.

On behalf of Loughs Agency I have raised concerns about Oyster breeding in July / August on the Foyle and the potential for impact from drilling operations.

I also highlighted that concerns had been raised by political representatives, fishermen and others on issues with this operation.

Irish Water have assured me by telephone that the drilling operation will be suspended until they have had an opportunity to evaluate concerns raised.

If you become aware of any further developments please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Best wishes

John

John McCartney BSc. MSc. MRSB CBiol MIFM CEnv. LM

Director of Conservation and Protection
Loughs Agency
22 Victoria Road
Londonderry
Northern Ireland
BT47 2AB


Let There Be No Doubt About It

Let there be no doubt about it  - Irish Water suspended drilling operations because the local fishermen told them straight up that they would not stand idly by and watch their valuable fishery at Carnagarve on Lough Foyle being destroyed.

They were told the drilling rig would be blocked if they attempted to tow it to the proposed pipe site. The drilling crew were told that they were being used as a battering ram by Irish Water. They stated that they were unaware of the fishermen's concerns.

The total lack of manners and consultation by Irish Water with the fishermen highlighted the complete arrogance of an organisation that feels they can ride rough-shod with impunity over anyone and anything.

⏭Enda Craig is a community activist in Donegal.

Irish Water And The Threat To Lough Foyle Fishery

James Quigley & Enda Craig writing in Buncrana Together put forward:

New Evidence bombshell - Sinn Féin spearheaded water charges in Europe while campaigning for abolition at home

Sinn Féin Spearheaded Water Charges In Europe

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