Newport wastewater treatment plant
Deputy Lawless described raw sewage being discharged into Clew Bay from Newport and pressed for transparency and progress. The Taoiseach said the plant was on the way, promised to check with Uisce Éireann, and accepted the need for updates and engagement with the local committee.
Newport is a beautiful town on the west coast of Mayo that is nestled in the stunning Clew Bay. Newport has no wastewater treatment plant and, as a result, raw sewage is being pumped into Clew Bay. This is affecting fish stocks and the ecosystem, with a foul odour in the town. Indeed, it is robbing the town of its potential in terms of economic development, housing development, tourism and recreational activities for the community.
This facility has been promised for decades, but it keeps getting pushed back and back. The people of Newport and its committee deserve transparency and progress updates on this. We cannot arrive in 2030 to realise that it has been pushed back another decade. Will the Taoiseach agree to engage with Uisce Éireann to provide regular updates? Who is responsible for this wastewater treatment plant? Will the project manager responsible meet with the committee on a quarterly basis to outline the schedule of events and the progress on this?
It is crucial that the town gets the wastewater treatment plant it deserves.
Comment on this
I know Newport. I have visited Newport. It is a beautiful town. When a treatment plant is on the way there should of course be full engagement with the business committee or the people living in the town, through the various structures, to identify the progress that has been made and the timelines. This is what Deputy Lawless's question is about. I will check with Irish Water. Deputy Lawless is saying the project is on the way but there is an absence of any clear timeline or explanation for the public. I will work on it and I will speak to Irish Water. If I am not mistaken, and I do not want to be facetious, there is a good black pudding in Newport.
Comment on this
It is in a lovely corner of the town. There is a lovely café there with the little manufacturing unit for the black pudding there also. Am I right?