AN electrical fault at a Co Kildare waste water treatment works caused a large volume of partially treated sewage to pollute the River Liffey yesterday. Contamination was evident over a five-mile stretch.
Kildare County Council, which operates the Leixlip plant, insisted no serious damage was caused to the river, and drinking water supplies in north Kildare and parts of Dublin, which come from the Liffey, were not threatened by the incident.
From early morning evidence of pollution could be seen on the water surface, with much of the river covered by frothy discharges. Pollutant material accumulated along its banks, notably at Lucan, the Strawberry Beds and Chapelizod, though it was dispersed downstream near Dublin city. The river was at a high level, which helped break up the pollution.
A spokesman for the local authority said "an electrical fault during the middle of the night" had affected the operation of a pump in the plant. Consequently, there was a discharge into the river. After the Liffey was carefully monitored throughout yesterday, its pollution staff concluded there was "no significant damage" and "no report of a fish kill".
The local authority's spokesman said it was not able to confirm yet how much liquid was discharged into the river.
The treatment plant was downstream of the drinking water extraction plant, so there was no threat to drinking water supplies. While the incident was regrettable, it was minor, he said.
But residents living close to the river between Lucan and Chapelizod were dismayed by the extent of pollution evident throughout the morning. Mr Joe McMeel, who lives immediately beside the river at the Strawberry Beds, said a similar type of pollution incident affected the Liffey last year. "It's getting lodged everywhere."
A man living in the village of Chapelizod noted a large build-up of pollutant material at Chapelizod Bridge, and a putrid smell from the water as a result. "It has been building up all morning. This is disgraceful."
