Angry West Cork locals rename park ‘Uisce Éireann’

After 27 years of their public park being rendered unusable because of sewage issues, the people of Shannonvale have renamed it ‘Uisce Éireann Park’.

A local West Cork representative has also urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prosecute the water company for the environmental issues.

An EPA spokesperson told The Echo that in February 2024, they visited the Shannonvale wastewater treatment plant and “found ponding of effluent in the public park arising from a holding tank, and an unpleasant odour”.

The site-visit report requires Uisce Éireann to: “Secure the park and cease spillage effluent immediately, improve effluent monitoring, improve effluent treatment, provide an upgrade/remediation plan and to confirm any risks to groundwater/drinking water abstraction.”

“Our investigations are ongoing and we are liaising with Uisce Éireann to make sure that the corrective actions in this report are implemented,” the spokesperson said.

Alan Dromey, chair of the Clonakilty clean-water committee, told The Echo: “12 months ago, we set up Clean Water Clonakilty. Our intent was to resolve the sewage issue and reopen Shannonvale Park.”

Mr Dromey explained that there have been failed projects to address the issue. These included one from 2014-2016 that Shannonvale was meant to be part of, but was removed. He said that Local Government Minister Darragh O’Brien had visited the site in 2022 and said that funding would be made available.

The committee met with Uisce Eireann in April and were told there is a capital plan in 2025 for which they are under consideration

“We wanted assurances,” Mr Dromey said, explaining: “They don’t see it as an environmental issue. From their perspective it’s just a sewage-tank issue for nine houses, but for us it’s so much more.

“The entire park is shut down, the access to the river has been taken from us, and we don’t have anywhere else in Shannonvale like this, so we took the decision to rename it on Google Maps out of heightened frustrations.”

Evie Nevin, Labour local area rep, has called on Cork County Council and the EPA to prosecute Irish Water.

She invited the EPA to Shannonvale this year, leading to a report and instructions.

“This report has led to some engagement but it is simply not moving fast enough,” said Ms Nevin.

She pointed to similar cases where the EPA has prosecuted Irish Water for failing to address sewage-related problems.

'LONG-TERM SOLUTION' SOUGHT

Uisce Éireann told The Echo that it is “progressing a strategic assessment to identify the best long-term solution for Shannonvale”, which will continue during 2024.

Following competition, the project will be brought forward to the stage-2 preliminary business case.

“We have confirmed to residents that with the stage-1 assessment is under way, Shannonvale Park will be included for consideration in the development of the next Capital Investment Plan 2025-2029 having regard to approved funding and prioritisation.

“The next capital-investment plan is subject to CRU approval and there is no commitment to progressing projects that are not currently at construction stage.

“Once the stage-2 assessment has been complete, further updates on the budget and timelines for delivery will be available.”