More allegations over village sewerage system

More allegations over village sewerage system

3 October 2012

NORTHERN Ireland Water has rejected claims that skips at its treatment plant in Drumaness are being used to store treated sewage.

Residents in the village are concerned that liquid in the skips is overflowing onto the ground close to a nearby river.

But NI Water is adamant this isn’t the case and that the material in the skips is in fact rubbish which has been screened at the plant during the treatment process.

Concerned resident Mr. Pat Ward said local people are anxious at the smell of the material in the skips which he claimed is attracting rats and birds.

“The skip appears to be overflowing with material and a liquid is oozing out and falling on the ground. There are a lot of magpies and rats about and people are reporting material lifted by the birds has fallen into their gardens,” he continued.

Mr. Ward said residents are asking if there is not a better system for collecting the waste than placing it in skips which are open to the elements.

A spokeswoman for NI Water explained the skips at the treatment plant are there to catch grit and rags which go through the screening process. She said the skips do not hold raw sewage or sludge and are emptied when they reach full capacity.

“The contents of the skip do not pose a pollution threat to the local river; rainwater from the skip gravitates to gullies within the site and is returned to the works treatment process,” she explained.

“Rags which go into the skips are made up of inappropriate items people have put in the toilet, a drain or into the sewers.

“Waste water treatment works and sewerage systems are not designed to deal with items such as cotton buds, nappies, sanitary items, wipes and condoms, which often cause major blockages or end up on our beaches. Screens at the works filter out these objects which then go into the skip.”

The spokeswoman said these inappropriate items result in blockages in the system before they even reach the treatment plant and can lead to so-called out-of-sewer flooding which can be harmful to the environment.

She added: “While NI Water has a responsibility for the sewerage system, everyone can help protect the beaches and environment. The advice is simple, bag it, bin it and don’t flush it.”