Mystery deepens over dumped Harbour debris

Donegal County Council did not engage the people responsible for depositing debris dredged from Greencastle Harbour at an illegal dump near a housing estate on the outskirts of the fishing village, Donegal Live can reveal.

The Council is now making arrangements to remove the “harbour debris” to an appropriate waste facility.

In addition, Donegal County Council is set to “separately investigate any waste management issues” in relation to the illegal dump, which is adjacent to the Adelaide Meadows housing estate.

The dumping incident took place over three days in June.

Tonnes of foul-smelling “harbour debris” dredged from Greencastle Harbour by the 'Otterbank' vessel operated by Foyle Port was deposited on rocks at the back of Queen's Port, below Greencastle's Blue Flag Marina, to enable it to dry out.

However, it has now emerged, Donegal County Council “did not contract or engage the person or persons who removed the material” from Queen's Port and took it on tractors to an illegal dump adjacent to Adelaide Meadows housing estate.

Neither did Donegal County Council “contract or engage” those responsible for bringing the “harbour debris” back to what the Council has described as its “on-site storage area.”

In reply to a complaint, Donegal County Council told the Adelaide Meadows Residents' Association: “The debris was to be removed by a licensed haulier to a suitable waste facility and the remaining material was to be tested to determine the appropriate disposal / re-use of the same.”

Speaking to Donegal Live, the Chairperson of the Adelaide Meadows Residents' Association said the group had lodged a complaint with Donegal County Council on July 7, 2020.

They added: “In its recent reply, the Council told us: 'In advance of the clean up at Greencastle Harbour, the Council, as part of its Health and Safety Management System, undertook a risk assessment into the nature of the material that would be likely be removed from the harbour.

“'As part of the control measures identified in same, it was determined the material should be stored at the Greencastle Breakwater site (as part of the construction / works site) as a short term interim measure, then segregated into its various components.

“'The Council did not nor do not intend to store this material, contained within the Council's construction / works site, for any longer that that time taken to complete the works, undertake the testing and arrange for appropriate haulage and disposal / re-use of the same.

“'The material contained within the Council's site is not determined as waste until same is removed from site. The Council did not contract / engage the person / persons who removed material and subsequently returned the said material to the Council's on-site storage area. Arrangements are now underway to remove said material to an appropriate facility,'” said the Chairperson.

The Adelaide Meadows Residents' Association was awaiting the outcome of Donegal County Council's investigation into the “waste management issues” in relation to the illegal dump in its estate.

They said: “It seems the harbour debris was removed from Greencastle Breakwater without the knowledge or permission of Donegal County Council. Why would someone do that?

“From our point of view, we now await the outcome of the Council investigation into the illegal dump in our estate. We hope the Council is going to investigate all waste management issues in relation to the the site. That would mean not just the harbour debris but all of the dumping that has been going on here before that. Why has it become the site it has? And does Donegal County Council know what is in it?

“We await the the Donegal County Council investigations and their outcome relating to the site, carried out presumably by the Environment Department because it carries out the local waste management operations. Thereafter it goes upstairs to the Environmental Protection Agency.

“Waste was taken from the harbour and should not have been there. But, the big question is 'Why it happened?' In addition, we hope the Council investigation means an investigation into exactly what has been dumped on that site previously. Do they know? Of course they don't. Should they know? Of course they should,” said Adelaide Meadows Residents' Association.