“Water quality in the River Maine, downstream of Castleisland, is of an ‘unacceptable status’ as far as the water framework directive standards are concerned,” – that’s according to a Kerry County Council report from a couple of years ago.
It is unlikely that any river anywhere has come completely clean out of its relationship with any town. However, the questionable quality of water in the River Maine on the western side of the town has been causing concern for some time.
Just a couple of years ago, an examining chemist said that the limestone nature of the area made it extremely difficult to trace pollution sources.
Monitored Monthly
He said the river, which is not used as a drinking water source, is monitored monthly at four locations and results from all four showed the water to be “less than good quality”, particularly for nutrients and ammonia.
That was from the report in April 2014. The film clip with this piece is from a week ago.
Incredibly, just over two decades after the ultra modern Castleisland Sewerage Treatment Plant was opened, there is still raw sewage being released into local rivers, somehow, somewhere.
Tralee Road Bridge
In this case, it’s the Mulaghi River and the clip was shot by a local man who was standing on the Tralee Road Bridge while he filmed.
In the case of the film clip, the outfall is at the Castle View Drive estate side of the river. The estate, which backs onto the Mulaghi, is connected to the main sewerage system. Its neighbouring Riverside Drive connects to the main system in front of the former Browne’s Mineral Water plant.
These facts would appear to rule out everything but the storm water gates. They were inserted to relieve flooding in various areas of the town at the same time of the treatment works was being build and the pipes laid throughout the town.
Creamery Lane
The most visible of these is on the bank of the river walk at the bottom of Creamery Lane.
If the filmed release into the Mulaghi on the Tralee Road contains raw sewage – how is it happening and where is it coming from.
“There is no mistaking this. This is raw sewage and you can see that it contains paper and whatever else goes with it and there was a frightful stink from it,” said the man who sent the film clip.
It is also incredible that, in all those years, nobody else spotted it or got a whiff of the overflow there as many people stand on the bridge while thumbing a lift to Tralee.
If anyone can throw light on it they might give me a ring at the number below. Click on the link here to see the full film clip: https://youtu.be/yFQT6NpsAc0
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