Sir, – In July 2012 three beaches at Lahinch, Kilkee and Spanish Point were closed by Clare County Council as a result of an E-coli outbreak. At the time Clare County Council speculated that excessive rainfall and run-off from land were the cause of the outbreak.
Now we find that the waste water treatment plant in Quilty, Co Clare, less than 9km from Spanish Point, has been accepting, treating and discharging sewage into the sea without a licence since June 2011 (Home News, March 4th). Apparently Clare County Council forgot to apply for a licence. Yet the water quality at Spanish Point has been assessed as good, according to documents sent to the EPA by Clare County Council.
It’s high time for Clare County Council and the EPA to wake up and smell the sewage! – Yours, etc,