A 100-tonne toxic waste dump has been discovered in an abandoned Victorian sewer in Limerick, prompting the local authority to order a €500,000 clean-up. The sludge, which includes benzines, recognised as dangerous carcinogens, was discovered during excavation works for the €200 million main drainage scheme.
A spokesman for the scheme, which is co-ordinated by Limerick City Council, said there had been no noticeable contamination of the surrounding ground. He added that it was not known if effluent from the waste, believed to have come from the old city gasworks on the Dock Road, had been seeping into the Shannon Estuary. The Environmental Protection Agency, Bord Gáis and the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board have been informed. The board has expressed concern about possible contamination of fishing grounds.
The sludge has been linked to a spillage of waste at the gasworks over 30 years ago. The gasworks closed in 1987.
