Preliminary Site Investigation Work at Kerdiffstown Landfill Estmates Volume of Waste of 2.3 Million Tonnes
Issued : Thursday 10 May, 2012
Areas : Naas
Deputy Emmet Stagg has been advised by the EPA, through their Community Updates, that the findings of Phase 1 of the Site Investigation work at Kerdiffstown Landfill, Naas, are that the volume of waste present at the site is estimated to be in the order of 2.3 Million Tonnes.
The findings are stated Deputy Stagg based on the 24 boreholes drilled throughout the site to determine more accurately the types of waste buried at the site, where they are and how thick the waste deposits are. In addition the EPA have confirmed that no hazardous waste was encountered in any of the 24 boreholes drilled and the waste is much drier than previously thought. The EPA have stated that the fact that the waste is drier means that, while there remains a clear potential for the plume of leachate beneath the site to impact on local surface water and groundwater in the future, there is still time to take action to minimise damage to the environment. A preliminary hydrogeological site assessment report has also been completed which indicates whilst there is on site impact from the waste, to date the effects offsite are limited. Further hydrogeological investigations will be required to gather data to ensure that any issues are addressed before an impact might occur. Deputy Stagg stated that the Tender for Phase 2 of the site investigation work will be advertised shortly with the work scheduled for completion in June and July and this will allow the Project Team, when the site investigation is completed, to determine the best Remediation for the Site. Commenting on the recent update, Deputy Stagg stated that we now have a good estimate of the amount of waste on site. He welcomed the fact that no hazardous waste was encountered in any of the 24 boreholes. In relation to the potential for leachate, whilst the waste is drier than previously thought, it was important that action would be taken to minimise damage to local surface water and groundwater in the future at the earliest opportunity. ____________________________________________________________ 12th JANUARY, 2012 - Stagg Welcomes Commencement of Site Investigation Work at Kerdiffstown Deputy Emmet Stagg has welcomed confirmation from the EPA through their Community Updates that a number of drilling rigs have arrived on site at Kerdiffstown Landfill, Naas, to commence Phase 1 of the Site Investigation Programme. The Site Investigation stated Deputy Stagg will allow the EPA to gather data on the site to contribute to the planning of the remediation of the site. It will involve drilling holes into the landfill and is expected to take 3 weeks. The EPA have advised that this drilling may generate some local odours which they will take steps to minimise. Once the data from this Phase 1 drilling has been analysed the EPA will undertake additional site investigation works at specific areas of interest and detail. Overall the Site Investigation works will continue until the summer when Site Remediation Plans will be drawn up. Expressing satisfaction with work over the past year at Kerdiffstown Landfill, Deputy Stagg stated that in addition to the commencement of the Site Investigations, We have seen: In conclusion Deputy Stagg praised the EPA`s work on the site and assured both Clean Air Naas and the people of Naas and surrounds that funding for the works to clean up Kerdiffstown was and would remain available until the site was remediated to everybody`s satisfaction.
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7th APRIL, 2011 - Stagg Welcomes Commencement of Work to Capture Gas at Kerdiffstown Landfill
Deputy Emmet Stagg has welcomed confirmation from the EPA under their Community Update of further works planned for the Kerdiffstown Landfill over the next 12 weeks, in particular proposals to collect landfill gas for flaring and the commencement of the tender process for the detailed site investigation works and a specialist consultant to carry out the detailed design of the overall remediation of the site.
Deputy Stagg stated that the installation of landfill gas wells and pipelines to capture the landfill gas and piping it to landfill gas flares was something he had called for long ago and this work will go someway towards reducing the polluting nature and odour of the gas emanating from the site. Deputy Stagg also stated that he was pleased that work would also commence on the detailed design for the overall remediation of the site once experts have been hired.
The EPA stated Deputy Stagg will retain control of the site for the duration of the remediation work, which may take a number of years, but we are now on the road to ridding Naas, Johnstown, Kill, Kerdiffstown and Sallins of the scourge that was Kerdiffstown Landfill
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27th JANUARY, 2011 - Stagg Demands Release of Funds to Deal with Emergency at Kerdiffstown and for Plan of Action to Remediate Landfill
Deputy Emmet Stagg has demanded that the Minister for Environment Eamon O`Cuiv T.D. immediately release funds from the Environment Fund to deal with the Environmental Disaster at the illegal landfill dump at Kerdiffstown, Naas, where at present an underground fire is raging uncontrolled.
Families are evacuating their homes in the immediate vicinity due to the Toxic fumes and breathing problems and an expert on underground landfill fires has been brought in from England to advise on how to deal with the fire.
Whatever this expert recommends, even if it requires moving out some of the illegally dumped waste, must be immediately funded by the Minister now stated Deputy Stagg.
In addition Deputy Stagg declared I am calling on the Minister to provide funding to the EPA to allow them to initiate the Plan they have in place to remediate the site. The Reserve Balance in the Environment Fund at the beginning of 2011 stood at €36.6 Million. Income during 2011 is expected to be in the region of €66 Million. So the funds are in place. It only requires Minister O`Cuiv to do what Gormley refused to do. That is to recognise the seriousness of this Environmental Disaster and to actually do something about it.
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4th JULY, 2011 - Stagg Welcomes Installation of Gas Flares at Kerdiffstown
Deputy Emmet Stagg has welcomed confirmation from the EPA under their Community Update that the Gas Flares at the Kerdiffstown Landfill are now installed and are fully operational.
The flares stated Deputy Stagg will burn off odorous gas that is collected by the 24 gas abstraction wells at the lined landfill cell and in the North West corner of the site. The lined landfill cell has now been fully covered with a heavy plastic membrane that will prevent gas escaping into the air. This membrane will also stop rainwater getting into the waste and creating leachate. These measures should result in a reduction in odour coming from the site but until the site is fully remediated there is a risk of odours, particularly during work phases where wastes will be disturbed.
The EPA stated Deputy Stagg have indicated that the next major work to be undertaken will be the demolition of a number of unsafe buildings in August.
Concluding Deputy Stagg stated that he was glad to have visited the Kerdiffstown Site last Friday July 1st along with fellow T.D`s and Councillors. The visit showed clearly the enormity of the job that will have to be undertaken to remediate the site and he expressed satisfaction at the plans drawn up by the EPA.
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26th MAY, 2011 - Stagg Pleased at Progress on Odour Works at Kerdiffstown Landfill
Deputy Emmet Stagg has expressed his satisfaction at continued works to control odours emanating from the landfill at Kerdiffstown in Naas.
In early April, stated Deputy Stagg, the EPA commenced the process of the installation of landfill gas wells and pipelines to capture the landfill for piping to landfill gas flares. In their most recent Community Update the EPA have indicated that 24 gas abstraction wells have been installed and that a plastic membrane will be installed in the area of the lined cell and a clay cover will be put in place in the North West section of the site. Once these gas control layers are in place, gas will be pumped from the gas abstraction wells to two fully covered gas flare units which will burn the landfill gas at a high temperature, thereby destroying the compounds responsible for the odour issues. The Gas flares are due for delivery in early June and once in action all of these measures should result in a marked improvement in the control of odours from the site. These works themselves may cause some odours due to disturbance of odourous material but that potential will be for a short period of time.
In conclusion Deputy Stagg stated that he was pleased at the progress the EPA were making in addressing the scourge that Kerdiffstown Landfill is.
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26th JANUARY, 2011 - Stagg calls on Fitzgerald to explain Claims on Funding for Kerdiffstown Landfill Clean Up
Deputy Emmet Stagg questioned the Minister for Environment in relation to the amount of funding assigned by him to carry out remediation, clean up and other works at the Kerdiffstown Landfill site near Naas, on foot of claims by Cllr. Shane Fitzgerald on KFM Lunchtime News last Wednesday 19th January that John Gormley had assigned money towards the clean up of the dump.
The new Minister for Environment Eamon O`Cuiv T.D. advised Deputy Stagg today in a Parliamentary response that it was essential that every effort was made to ensure that those responsible for environmental damage fully met the costs involved and that any question of State funding for any remedial works, whether from the Environment Fund or any other source, would fall to be considered in that context. The Minister repeated that the EPA were the competent authority in relation to landfills and that the particular landfill site at Kerdiffstown is the subject of enforcement action by the EPA, including legal proceedings which are in line with Ministerial policy directions, and were being pursued at the highest possible level. The Minister concluded ‘In theses circumstances it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on the matter at this stage’.
Deputy Stagg stated that the response was a further Pontius Pilate act by this discredited Government on their failure to commence the process of resolving the environmental disaster that is Kerdiffstown. Deputy Stagg also stated that Cllr. Shane Fitzgerald needed to explain how he could announce that funding was being made available for the clean up. It hardly disappeared between last Sunday and today.
In conclusion Deputy Stagg reaffirmed the commitment of Labour Party Leader Eamon Gilmore T.D. that Labour if in Government after the General Election would move to provide funding to the EPA to clean up the illegal landfill at Kerdiffstown.
ENDS – ENQUIRIES – 087/6728555
PQ RESPONSE BELOW
Question No. 413
Chun an Aire Comhshaoil, Oidhreachta agus Rialtais Áitiúil:
To the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government:
To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount of funding assigned by him to carry out remediation, clean up and other works at Kerdiffstown landfill site, Naas, County Kildare; the source of the funding and the time scale for making the landfill safe from all pollution threats.
- Emmet Stagg.
For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 25th January, 2011.
Ref No: 3786/11
Kerdiffstown
REPLY
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Mr. Ó Cuív):
It is essential that every effort is made to ensure that those responsible for environmental damage fully meet the costs involved. Any question of State funding for any remedial works involved, whether from the Environment Fund or any other source, would fall to be considered in that context.
Any facility giving rise to environmental pollution is a cause of concern but there is a system in place under which competent authorities can ensure that obligations under waste legislation are met. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - through its Office of Environmental Enforcement (OEE) – is charged with ensuring that the Irish enforcement system is capable of securing timely compliance with the requirements of the Waste Management Act 1996, including under section 32, which provides that the holder of waste is responsible for ensuring that waste is managed in a manner which does not cause environmental pollution.
The EPA is the competent authority in relation to landfills and all such waste facilities must obtain a waste licence from the Agency. Such licences are subject to stringent conditions so as to ensure that the facilities concerned operate to the highest environmental standard. Enforcement of licence conditions is also a matter for the EPA.
The need for strong enforcement action has been aided by Ministerial policy directions which issued in May 2005 and July 2008, respectively, providing guidance where illegal deposition is discovered. The policy direction issued in 2005 sets the standard in terms of the expected response from the regulatory authorities, who are obliged to ensure that the necessary remedial measures are taken to ensure that sites are restored and that waste illegally deposited is appropriately disposed of or recovered. The 2008 direction deals with the use of sanctions to ensure effective actions against those involved in unauthorised waste activities.
The particular landfill site at Kerdiffstown is the subject of enforcement action by the EPA, including legal proceedings which, in line with these Ministerial policy directions, are being pursued at the highest possible level. In these circumstances it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on the matter at this stage.
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17th JANUARY, 2011 - Stagg Welcomes Gilmore Support for Kerdiffstown Landfill Clean-Up
Deputy Emmet Stagg has welcomed the support expressed by the Labour Party Leader, Eamon Gilmore T.D. in an interview with KFM on Friday January 14th, supporting Deputy Stagg`s call for the provision of funds to enable the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the urgently needed remediation at the illegal landfill at Kerdiffstown near Naas.
Mr. Gilmore called on the Minister for Environment John Gormley T.D. to instruct the EPA to carry out the necessary and urgent works on the site and to provide the necessary funding from the Environment Fund which is made up of income from the Plastic Bag Levy and the Landfill Levy. The Bond held by the EPA on the Landfill Licence could also be used.
Mr. Gilmore further stated that if Gormley did not take the necessary action that Labour would do so if it was in Government after the General Election.
Deputy Stagg has established by means of a Parliamentary Question that the Income into the Environment Fund in 2011 will be €66.2 Million and that the opening Reserve Funds at the start of 2011 stand at €36.6 Million. This funding is ring-fenced for Environment Projects and the Minister intends to spend €101.1 Million in 2011. This will deplete the Reserves to €1.7 Million at the end of 2011. Amazingly the Minister intends to spend in excess of €100 Million but is ignoring the Environmental Disaster at Kerdiffstown. Hopefully he will be out of office soon and we can redirect funds to where they are needed.
In conclusion Deputy Stagg gave an undertaking to continue to raise the scandal that is Kerdiffstown in every way open to him to try and embarrass Gormley into taking action.
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11th JANUARY, 2011 - Stagg continues to press EPA on Kerdiffstown Stench Allieviation Measures
Deputy Emmet Stagg has been in further correspondence with the EPA in relation to the ongoing problems with the Kerdiffstown Landfill at Naas.
In correspondence to the Director General of the EPA, Deputy Stagg suggested that the EPA, under exiting legislation, could carry out specified measures to limit environmental pollution at the site themselves, and seek recoupment of the costs through the Courts. A landfill gas collection system including flaring of the gases collected would assist in reducing the stench emanating from the facility. Deputy Stagg also stated that the removal of the illegally dumped 1.1 million tonnes of waste at the site could also be dealt with in this way. Deputy Stagg also suggested that the Bond held on the Waste Licence could be used to fund some of the work.
In their response to Deputy Stagg the EPA reiterated the History of the High Court cases taken by them against Neiphin Trading, Dean Waste and Jenzsoph. With all of these companies in liquidation or receivership the EPA stated that they were now pursuing fall back orders on the directors of the three companies requiring them to comply with the Court Orders. The EPA also outlined to Deputy Stagg ongoing monitoring of the environment around the site including groundwater, surface water and air quality.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the response, Deputy Stagg stated that the minimum the EPA could do at present, and its only a minimum, is to deal with the stench from the site, through the installation of the gas collection infrastructure. The EPA stated Deputy Stagg have the power to go in and carry out the work and seek recoupment of the costs and they also hold a bond. In renewed correspondence with the EPA Deputy Stagg has again asked them to look at this issue as it might restore some public confidence in our regulatory bodies if the stench could be curtailed as much as possible. Deputy Stagg also directly posed the question if carrying out the measures would cause a difficulty with the impending court cases.
In conclusion Deputy Stagg stated that the residents of Naas, Johnstown, Kerdiffstown and Sallins needed some improvement in their quality of life and it was now time for some concrete action to address the stench issue.
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8th NOVEMBER 2010 - Gormley Living in Cloud Cookoo Land over Kerdiffstown Landfill
Deputy Emmet Stagg sought to raise the remediation of 1.1 Million Tonnes of illegally dumped waste at the Kerdiffstown Landfill near Naas on the Adjournment Debate in the Dail on Thursday 4th November but was prevented from doing so and instead had to raise the issue of Progress with the Review of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Departments Proposals to strengthen the remit of the EPA to deal with situations at Waste facilities.
In his address to the Dail Deputy Stagg outlined the History of the Landfill which led to the EPA belatedly getting Court Orders which have effectively closed the landfill as the companies involved are either in liquidation, receivership or insolvent. An unholy mess has been left beside the Capital Town of the County, right on top of Johnstown Village and in the townland of Kerdiffstown. Deputy Stagg stated that there was a veritable mountain of rotting, stinking waste, with no protection of ground or surface water from the leachate running off the dump. Deputy Stagg pointed out that the Morrell River, a tributary of the River Liffey, flowed within 100 metres of the site and this presented a clear danger to the water supply to Dublin and Kildare. There was no infrastructure in place to collect noxious gases emanating from the landfill. There is no security at the landfill and a number of fires had occurred at the landfill creating additional fear for residents. Rats and birds are teeming in the area and Deputy Stagg called on the Green Party Minister for the Environment to take effective action to secure and clean up the rotting menace. The EPA stated Deputy Stagg should be instructed to move in, secure the site and remove the dangerous waste using funds collected through the landfill levy. On the question of the EPA Review Deputy Stagg stated that the EPA must be given powers to close down landfills if licences are breached. If this had been the current law then Kerdiffstown would have been closed down in 2003.
The Minister for Environment John Gormley T.D. responding to Deputy Stagg outlined the terms of reference of the Review Group, the membership background of the Review Group and who the Review Group were consulting with. He further advised Deputy Stagg that the work of the group would be completed by the end of the year with a Report being presented to him which he did not wish to pre-empt. The Minister then stated ‘Waste facilities operate under waste licences issued by the agency, with these licenses being subject to stringent conditions regarding the operation of such facilities. I am concerned about any facility that is causing environmental pollution, but there is adequate legislation in place for the regulatory bodies to deal with such matters’.
Commenting on the Ministers assertion that waste licences were subject to stringent conditions regarding their operation and that adequate legislation is in place at present, Deputy Stagg stated that the Minister was living in Cloud Cookoo Land. If that were the case we would not have the serious environmental hazard that is Kerdiffstown now. After 7 years of dealing with existing law we have this mountain of waste on the edge of Naas, with leachate run off, non collection of noxious gases and fears for the health of people in the area.
Deputy Stagg stated that Kerdiffstown Residents Association and Clean Air Naas will continue to have his support in the fight to remediate the landfill and that he intended to further question the Minister for Environment on this issue and that he would not let this matter be buried by the Government.
BELOW FULL TRANSCRIPT OF DAIL DEBATE – 4/11/10
To discuss the progress with the review of the EPA and the proposals being brought by the Department to strengthen the remit of the Authority so that it may more effectively deal with situations which continue to impact on residents as a consequence of illegal activities such as the present situation at a waste facility at Kerdiffstown, Naas, Co. Kildare.
Deputy Emmet Stagg: I thank the Minister for taking this debate. It is the first time I have seen a senior Minister handling an Adjournment matter for a considerable time.
The case I am about to outline demonstrates the need for a review of the powers of the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA. Kerdiffstown dump near Naas in County Kildare is a rotting, stinking disgrace and it is scandalous that a Green Party Minister has been unable to find a means of dealing with it or of enabling the EPA and other agencies to deal with it by changing the law to empower them to act effectively.
The dump has a long and troubled history. It began life as a quarry in the 1950s. In 1996, Neiphin Trading Limited began receiving waste at the site and there were constant complaints about the activity. In 2003, the EPA granted the company its first waste disposal licence for construction and demolition waste. Shortly afterwards, the company was found to be in breach of the terms of the licence. This became a pattern over the next years, with repeated reports outlining licence breaches and the operating company ignoring the warnings. The breaches covered a wide area, from the security and management of the site to the type of waste being dumped. In the meantime, buildings were constructed on the site without planning permission and a former EPA inspector joined the board of A1 Waste. Unbelievably, this situation continued until 2010 when the EPA finally collected enough evidence to secure a High Court injunction against the operating company.
Three companies are associated with the dump. Neiphin Trading Limited is in liquidation, Dean Waste Company Limited is in receivership and Jenzsoph Limited is insolvent. How wonderfully convenient for the directors of these companies. They have left behind an unholy mess in my constituency beside the capital town, right on top of Johnstown village and in the townland of Kerdiffstown, where the residents have suffered long and unheard.
I pay tribute to the members of the Kerdiffstown residents association, which has fought a long, hard battle, and to the members of Clean Air Naas, who have brought their considerable muscle to the campaign. They are to be thanked for their selflessness and dedication to their communities.
Where once there was a hole in the ground, there is now a veritable mountain of rotting, stinking waste. It is one of the highest points in County Kildare. There is no protection for ground or surface water from the leachate running off the dump and it should be noted that the River Morrell, a tributary of the Liffey and a source of Dublin and Kildare's water supply, runs within 100 m of the site. The danger of serious pollution is real. The air near and downwind from the dump is stinking and there is no infrastructure to collect or dispose of the noxious gases. They are simply allowed to go straight into the atmosphere. This has caused real stress and fear for the people living in the area and some 30,000 people are affected. There is no effective security at the dump and scavengers and others have free access. A number of fires have occurred, giving rise to more fear and dread in the dump's general area. Rats and birds are teeming in the area. It is estimated that the site holds some 1.1 million tonnes of illegally dumped waste, which have been effectively abandoned by those who made the site a profitable, if illegal enterprise.
I call on the Green Party's Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to take effective action to secure and clean up this rotting menace. It is not acceptable for him to hide behind so-called independent quangos or court cases. He must issue a directive to the EPA to move in, secure the site and remove the dangerous waste. While this will be an expensive operation, the potential high cost of the alternative cannot be countenanced. The landfill levy fund amounts to €198 million and I call on the Minister to use part of the fund to enable the EPA to take the necessary action. It is noteworthy that the Dean group of waste companies got away with paying nothing into the fund for a ten-year period.
Through Ms Nessa Childers, I have also raised this issue with the European Commissioner and I intend to pursue that course further.
In seeking to protect the environment, the EPA is operating with one arm tied behind its back. The Minister needs to change the law so that, when a landfill licenceholder breaches the terms of that licence, the EPA is empowered to close down him or her there and then. This is not currently the case. As the EPA is dealing with rich companies and individuals, the Kerdiffstown dump has been allowed to grow and fester since the first licence breach in 2003. If the law was otherwise, the dump would have been closed down in 2003, not 2010. If this is not a case for changing the powers of the EPA, I do not know what is.
Deputy John Gormley: On foot of a commitment in the programme for Government, a review of the EPA began in February 2010. Under its terms of reference, the review group has been asked to review the legislation governing the EPA, assess performance against its mandate and evaluate the scope of that mandate, review the resources allocated to the EPA, assess the structures and governance of the agency and assess the relationship between it and other parts of the environmental governance structure. The review group members are drawn from a varied background and include environmental, legal, academic, business and agriculture experts. The group also includes former directors of the Irish EPA and its Dutch counterpart.
A public consultation process in respect of the review was held earlier this year and received more than 130 submissions. The review group, as part of its ongoing work programme, also consulted with a wide range of stakeholders, including environmental non-governmental organisations, the IFA, IBEC, Departments, other public bodies, the City and County Managers Association and the EPA. The group's work is ongoing and it is expected that it will finalise its report by the end of the year and report to me shortly thereafter. Clearly, there will be a need to consider carefully the group's recommendations, on which I do not intend to speculate or pre-empt.
The review group has adopted a thematic approach which includes an examination of the licensing framework, both in terms of the EPA's role and the legislation that governs it. Waste facilities operate under waste licences issued by the agency, with these licences being subject to stringent conditions regarding the operation of such facilities. The need for strong enforcement action has been aided by ministerial policy directions that issued in May 2005 and July 2008 providing guidance where illegal deposition is discovered. I am concerned about any facility that is causing environmental pollution, but there is adequate legislation in place for the regulatory bodies to deal with such matters.
The Government is committed to ensuring an adequate enforcement response to illegal waste activity and I would point to continuing support from the environment fund towards enforcement staffing costs. This funding of more than €7.5 million has been used to finance the activities of 120 additional local authority enforcement personnel. I also hope to provide additional funding this year of up to €1 million to cover the additional enforcement costs of local authorities.
The EPA plays a key role in monitoring, maintaining and improving Ireland's environmental performance. Accordingly, a high level of importance is attached to this review. Good environmental governance is a key priority for the Government as a whole, in particular as an essential element of sustainable development. The review is also important in the context of the Transforming Public Services agenda and the need for efficiency and effectiveness in a resource-constrained environment. The ultimate aim of the review is to strengthen the agency and I look forward to the finalisation of the review group's report.
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22nd OCTOBER, 2010 - Stagg to raise Kerdiffstown Landfill Clean Up on Adjournment in the Dail - State cannot stand Idly by
Kildare North Labour T.D. Emmet Stagg is seeking to raise the controversial Kerdiffstown Landfill Site at Naas on the Adjournment Debate in the Dail following on from the blaze at the facility last night and two further outbreaks of fire there this morning.
Along with my colleague Leinster Labour MEP Nessa Childers we visited the landfill and met with members of Clean Air Naas on October 1st last. During the course of the visit the concerns about fires at the landfill were made very clear by members of Clean Air Naas as was the lack of security at the landfill. On top of the obnoxious smell which residents have to put up with, the concerns at the build up of methane gas at the site, this added fire danger threatened residents in the area, and it was also pointed out that run off from the landfill could pollute the Morrell River, a tributary of The Liffey, thus posing a risk to drinking water supplies in Dublin City and Kildare.
The EPA have been granted Court Orders recently against Neiphin Trading and Dean Waste to cease disposing of waste at the north west section of the landfill where over 1.1 Million tonnes of waste has been illegally dumped resulting in piles of rubbish 110 metres in height. The Court Orders follows on from Court Injunctions granted on May 14th last. They were also ordered to install gas monitoring equipment and to excavate and remove any contaminated soil from the area. A liquidator has been appointed to Neiphin Trading whilst a Receiver has been appointed to Dean Waste.
In my Adjournment Debate Request in The Dail, I want to raise with Minister Gormley the remediation of the 1.1 Million Tonnes of illegally dumped waste. The State cannot stand idly by on this explosive landfill concluded Deputy Stagg and its time a plan of action to clean up this landfill was set in motion.
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14th MAY, 2010 - Stagg Welcomes Interim Injunction to Prevent Further Waste Disposal at Kerdiffstown Dump
Deputy Emmet Stagg has welcomed the decision in the High Court today where Justice Ryan granted an Interim Injunction against Nephin Trading Limited in a case taken by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Interim Order made today stated Deputy Stagg prevents the acceptance of further waste at the Landfill until a full hearing of the High Court case is heard. No date has been set for the Full hearing and there is always the possibility of an appeal by Nephin Trading.
Whilst I previously criticised the tortuous procedure involved for the EPA in dealing with landfills the decision today is a welcome development for the people of Naas, Kerdiffstown, Johnstown, Sallins and Kill who have had to put up with serious odour problems from the dump over the past 7 months.
Deputy Stagg concluded by stating that whilst the war is not over a battle has been won today in the High Court and he looked forward to a satisfactory outcome following the full High Court hearing at a later date.
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10th MAY, 2010 - Stagg Blasts Gormley over Refusal to Change Laws in relation to Closure of Landfills
Deputy Emmet Stagg questioned the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government in relation to the stench which has been emanating from the landfill at Kerdiffstown, Naas, since before Christmas and asked him if he felt the Environmental Protection Agency Acts and Waste Management Acts needed to be amended to allow the EPA to move immediately to close down landfills causing odour pollution given the cumbersome legal route required at present and if the Minister would give a commitment to amend the law.
The Minister in his response to Deputy Stagg indicated that he had received correspondence in relation to the Kerdiffstown Facility and went on to outline how the facility is licensed and monitored by the EPA whose duty it is to ensure compliance with the waste licence issued and decide on appropriate enforcement action. The Minister concluded by stating that he was satisfied that the powers available to the EPA are sufficient for it to perform its enforcement role effectively.
Deputy Stagg has described the Ministers response as rubbish itself and wonders why the Minister will not contemplate a change in the Law given the serious effect the odour from the facility has on residents in Naas, Sallins, Johnstown, Kill and Kerdiffstown. The present legal route of seeking Injunctions in the High Court is simply too slow to give people proper protection and the Law should be changed to allow closure and corrective action to be imposed at District Court level. Its time that the interests of the People in our State took precedence in how we run our affairs stated Deputy Stagg.
In conclusion Deputy Stagg stated that he intended to question the Minister further through an Oral parliamentary Question in The Dail and he was asking Labours Legal backup staff to prepare legislation in relation to giving the EPA an easier legal route to closure of such landfills.
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22nd FEBRUARY, 2010 - Stagg Welcomes EPA Court Victory over Kerdiffstown Landfill
Deputy Emmet Stagg has welcomed the securing of a High Court injunction by the EPA preventing the operators of the Kerdiffstown Landfill at Sallins from accepting further waste deposits into lined cells 1A and 1B.
The smell from the Dump has been a serious problem for residents in surrounding areas for some time now stated Deputy Stagg and has lead to some people being physically unwell.
The injunction now granted will mean that over a gradual period the smell from the dump will decline. A further High Court case is being taken by the EPA in relation to the illegal deposit of 1.1 million tonnes of waste in a separate part of the Kerdiffstown Landfill. Should the EPA secure a further victory in the Courts then the dump will be sealed over thus eliminating the noxious odour.
In conclusion Deputy Stagg stated that the EPA should be given powers to close down landfills which caused problems without having to go to Court as the problems associated with Kerdiffstown have being going on too long thus causing misery for many residents in Kerdiffstown, Naas, Sallins, Kill and Johnstown.
