Mr. Dara Lynott:

As part of our characterisation of groundwater and geology we would have looked at groundwaters and how protected they are by the soil on top. For example, the Burren in County Clare has very vulnerable groundwater, as it has very little soil on top, as has east Galway and Gort, which have very fractured limestone, or groundwater is interchangeable with surface water. Various studies have been done in the past that would try to give information as to what areas are most appropriate for land spreading. Land-spreading on top of the Burren is not a good idea but land-spreading in County Meath with significant soils over groundwater is a good idea. We would have been involved in multiple studies of that nature.