IT WAS extremely urgent that construction of the proposed sewage treatment plant at Mutton Island, Galway Bay, should proceed, Galway city's chief planning officer said yesterday.
Mr Thomas Kilgarriff, in an affidavit to the High Court, said the need for a treatment plant was manifested by the poor bathing water quality of city beaches. Both Grattan road and Ballyloughnane beaches, he said, had been affected by untreated sewage discharges.
He was replying to a challenge to the corporation's plans brought by Mr Raymond McBride, an actor from Galway. Mr McBride is supported by the Save the Galway Bay Group which claims it is trying to preserve the bay from "insensitive development".
Mr McBride wants the court to quash the corporation decision of February 9th, 1996, to invite tenders for the construction of the plant and a causeway.
On Tuesday, Mr Justice Quirke was told that Mr McBride claimed that no environmental impact assessment had been carried out by the Minister for the Marine and there was a question about the protection of bird habitats.
Mr Kilgarriff, in his affidavit, said the deterioration of water quality was such that last year was the first the Western Health Board requested shellfish be depurated (made free from impurities) before consumption at the Clarenbridge Oyster Festival.
The discharge of raw sewage into the inner bay, which would otherwise be treated at the proposed Mutton Island treatment plant, was the cause of the deterioration of water quality, he said.
Galway city discharged about eight million gallons of untreated sewage each day into the inner bay. The volume would continue to increase as the city developed.
The proposed plant would provide secondary treatment for a population of 68,000 in phase one, increasing to 92,000 in phase two.
Mr Kilgarriff denied Mr McBride's allegations that the proposed development had not been decided in accordance with required procedures. There had been an ongoing public debate for many years.
The matter had been dealt with by the elected representatives of Galway Corporation on many occasions. They had on each occasion that a vote was taken decided that Mutton Island and the causeway was the best method of dealing with sewage problems.
Mr Kilgarriff said the Office of Public Works had concluded the proposed plant would not have a significant detrimental impact on birds within the special protection area. There would be a significant improvement in environmental quality in the northeast bay.
Mr A. J. O'Sullivan, an environmental consultant, in an affidavit supporting Mr McBride's challenge, said the island formed a conspicuous feature of inner Galway bay. The scale of the proposed development would adversely affect it.
Galway Corporation, when applying to the Minister for the Marine for a licence or lease, should have submitted an environmental impact statement. The greater" part of the lands to be utilised for the proposed developments, formed part of the designated EU special protection area.
Mr O'Sullivan said that the European Commission had refused to co finance the proposed development from the Cohesion Fund. It was fundamentally in breach of EU directives.
The hearing continues today.