Tramore Town Manager Brian White has issued an assurance that untreated sewage is not seeping into the local bay. He told the April meeting of the Town Council that sewage was treated in a modern, state of the art treatment plant and although, in times of heavy rain, diluted foul water exited into the bay via storm overflows, that was a normal feature of any such scheme.
Responding to Cllr Maxine Keoghan who raised questions on the issue, Mr White said he was unhappy that the matter was being publicly aired time and time again, giving rise to unjustified fears. “Tramore has the safest, best beach in Ireland, with water quality second to none”, he asserted.
He said there would be occasional problems arising from burst pipes and such things, just as there were everyplace else. But Council staff attended to them immediately they were reported. He conceded that there was an overflow into the back strand last year but there was no threat to the bay.
Having heard from Cllr Keoghan that she had read worrying reports in a local newspaper (not the Munster Express), the Manager said that unfortunately there would always be people who would contact the media before they would ever pick up a phone and report problems to the relevant agency.
He said the health authorities, the EPA and the County Council were engaged as a team in ensuring the best standards applied.
In support of that point, Cllr Blaise Hannigan said there were monthly checks in the bay which people should find reassuring. He felt there was no need for Cllr Keoghan to raise the matter.
But she was adamant that if there was no problem then there was no harm in saying so. And besides, the subject had already been aired in the press.
