Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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This matter relates to issues that the communities in Mahon and Blackrock in the south-east of Cork city are experiencing. Fundamentally, the answers people are looking for is how and when the problem that exists is going to be fixed. They have not received such answers. When a resolution will be found is not something the communities in question have a sense of at this point.

The main issue is a foul odour that can be smelled in the open air. This has been the case for four weeks. The odour is legitimately and correctly being linked to sewage issues. However, residents can also smell it from their sinks and toilets. It is not so much that there is matter emerging; it is the odour itself. People are quite reasonably concerned about the health implications of this for them and the community in general. Unfortunately, this is not the first sewage-related issue in that part of the city. Not far away on Monahan Road, there were issues regarding a sewage overflow near the marina earlier this year. The Minister of State may have heard about that.

I have been in contact with Irish Water a number of times over the past couple of weeks. The most recent response I received referred to early contractor involvement, ECI, works going on at Atlantic Pond and Ballinure to upgrade the pumping stations there. Part of these works include septicity dosing at Atlantic Pond due to the low flows and high temperature in the network during the summer months. That was basically the nature of the update I received. The concerns that exist seem to relate to the Mahon pumping station and possibly one other station.

In response to the update I received two weeks ago, I made further inquiries. I have not yet receive a reply.. The fundamental questions people are asking are as follows. First, is the explanation I received satisfactory? I am not sure that it is. The community is not convinced that it is. Would septicity explain the foul smell? If so, how does the relevant process work? More crucially, when will the dosing be concluded and when can the smell be expected to be gone? When is this matter going to be brought to a conclusion?

There has not been any communication about this matter. Irish Water has merely told us that it is trying to address it. In the almost two weeks since I submitted my questions, I have not received any clarification on the issues raised. To be totally frank, from speaking to former employees of Cork City Council and people who would have worked in the water section there, their contention is that the pumping stations are operating above capacity. They indicate that new connections have been added that the pumping stations were not built to accommodate and that the level of maintenance and checks carried out at these locations is not what it would have been four or five years ago. In other words, these pumping stations are not receiving the attention they would have received in the past.

We need to get to the bottom of this. What the people of Mahon, Blackrock, Ballintemple and the surrounding areas are looking for is a clear sense of how this is going to be fixed and when it is going to end. It needs to end. There are questions as to whether there are implications for public health. People have reasonable concerns in that regard. They need to know that this is going to be brought to a conclusion.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Ó Laoghaire for raising this issue. I imagine that he experienced frustration during the summer and has probably waiting for an opportunity to highlight this matter in the Dáil. Perhaps he could provide some feedback on whether this malodour was at a heightened level during the summer months. We had a pretty dry June and July, with high temperatures and low rainfall. There probably was not much flow in the system, if that makes sense. I am not an engineering expert, but my understanding is that this can lead to malodours.

We had a similar issue with a brand-new system in Courtmacsherry. What happened was that because the sewage had to travel such a distance from Timoleague to Courtmacsherry, the malodour was exacerbated in areas where it was settling and remaining stagnant. That is pretty much the explanation Uisce Éireann is giving in this instance.

The response is perhaps not much different from the one Deputy Ó Laoghaire received two weeks ago, but I will endeavour ensure that he gets clarity on the other issues he has raised.

Uisce Éireann informs me that during the summer months, it is not unusual to see a seasonal spike in odour instances across the country. Odours can be more pronounced for a variety of reasons, including prolonged warm or dry weather, humidity, reduced wastewater flows, increased biological activity and seawater infiltration, wind direction and agricultural activities can also be contributing factors.

As the Deputy outlined, the primary cause of the odour locally is septicity in the wastewater network. When wastewater becomes stagnant and oxygen levels drop, hydrogen sulphide gas is produced, resulting in strong, unpleasant smells. This is exacerbated by low flows and high temperatures, particularly during the summer months. That was the explanation I was given in terms of what we experienced locally in the Courtmacsherry-Timoleague area. I wonder if that is what is happening in this instance.

The Deputy will know from the response he received that Uisce Éireann is making improvements and is carrying out early contractor involvement, ECI, works at Atlantic Pond and Ballinure to upgrade the sites there. As part of these works, Uisce Éireann will be introducing septicity dosing at Atlantic Pond.

That is where specific chemicals are introduced that have an impact in terms of reducing the malodour. The idea is to reduce that stale malodour during the summer months when flows are low and temperatures are high.

In summary, Uisce Éireann is aware of the issues. The Deputy has asked for clarification in terms of getting a bit more evidence as to whether what Uisce Éireann is saying is producing these malodours is factual. I have seen in my personal experience where this has been the case. If further works are required in this case, however, I know that, in the situation where I am, an extra pumping station is the solution. Perhaps Uisce Éireann needs to go a step further and inquire if an extra pumping station is needed in this case, too, to increase the flow so there is not that stagnant sewage and malodour. Uisce Éireann is going to continue to monitor the situation there, but it is also talking about reviewing and updating operational procedures as needed to ensure a long-term resolution in the area. If I can give the Deputy and the residents of Mahon and the Blackrock area any chink of light, it is that Uisce Éireann is open to reviewing the situation so that a long-term solution can perhaps be built there.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State. It is important that representations are made from the offices of the Minister of State and-or the Minister to Uisce Éireann in relation to this issue. I say this because the response seems to offer two potential causes for the malodour without necessarily nailing the company's colours to the mast as to whether it is the low water levels and the summer, the septicity, or a mixture of both. I am unclear on that.

Regarding the weather, this issue originated in late August. Obviously, there was good weather then, but we have had periods of rain since and I think there was a smell as recently as two or three days ago. There has been rain in that period now, so I am not sure that dry and hot weather alone is the answer to why the issue exists. It is not clear from the answer today or the correspondence I have received that septicity dosing itself causes malodour. I know it is intended to address malodour, but it is not clear whether it causes the problem itself, either for a short or medium time.

The fundamental issue here is that this problem is continuing. It has still been an issue in the last couple of days and there has been no indication from Uisce Éireann that it is going to be brought to a conclusion. That is the key bit of information we need. We need a timeline for when this issue is going to be resolved. If it is the case that further infrastructure is needed, then I think that needs to be communicated so people have a sense of when interventions like this are going to be needed.

I do think there is a bit of an issue here. Problems have arisen in two nearby areas in the last eight or nine months. Is this a sewerage system in that part of the city that is struggling to cope? That potentially seems to be an issue of capacity but also an issue with maintenance. I have spoken to former contractors who worked for the council in this area and they say the level of checks happening now is not what it should be and is not what it used to be.

The big issue here is the timeline. If the Minister of State can try to get Uisce Éireann to give a timeline of when this problem is going to be resolved, the people of Mahon and Blackrock would appreciate it.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister, Deputy Browne, apologised that he could not make it here to deal with this question personally, but we work collaboratively within the Department anyway. I will absolutely undertake to try to get more detail and a timeline. Regarding the cause of the issue, septicity is the cause of the odour. The untreated sewage at this point remains stagnant en route to the treatment plant, so it is not necessarily a situation where the treatment plant is not working. I am sorry to keep harping back to my own example, but the treatment plant in Courtmacsherry is working perfectly. The flow stops, though, where the raw sewage is being transported to the treatment plant and that is where we get the septicity. The chemical being added is the way of treating and trying to remove the odours. That is my understanding of the treatment process Uisce Éireann is incorporating in what it is doing in the Mahon area and in this instance. It may be the case, however, that the approach is not going to work and there may be a case for an extra pumping station to increase the flow so there is not the septicity and stagnant water. The Deputy is looking for clarity, more accurate answers and timelines, and I undertake to get those timelines for him.

Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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As we have finished Topical Issues, we will suspend the House.