Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 102: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress which has been made in dealing with the odour problem at the Ringsend waste water treatment plant; if the proposed extension to the plant will be delayed until such time as the odour problem is solved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16351/05]

Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 124: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the action his Department is taking to remove the foul odours associated with the sewage treatment plant in Ringsend; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16457/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 102 and 124 together.

Odour incidents at Dublin City Council's Ringsend wastewater treatment plant, which is operated on the city council's behalf under a public private partnership contract, have originated from the on-site sludge treatment facility and not from the secondary treatment plant.

I understand that a programme of works had been implemented by the city council that had greatly improved the overall situation since summer 2004. Regrettably, the odour problem re-emerged for short periods earlier this year due to maintenance procedures and equipment failure in the sludge process that have since been dealt with. I am informed that the council is continuing to work closely with the consortium that operates the plant to achieve a resolution of any outstanding odour issues. In that context, the council has appointed international engineering consultants who have recently commenced a comprehensive review of all aspects of the plant, including the design and ongoing operation and management performance.

The environmental impact statement for the Ringsend treatment plant envisaged future upgrading to achieve extra capacity and specific provisions to facilitate increased throughput were included into the 1998 tender documents. Approval, in principle, was subsequently given to Dublin City Council by my Department to proceed with the planning of a wastewater treatment capacity increase at the plant in the Water Services Investment Programme 2004-2006, published in May 2004. Copies are available in the Oireachtas Library.

The proposed scheme had earlier been included in a list of priority water and sewerage schemes in the city council's Water Services Investment Programme Assessment of Needs 2007-2112 produced in September 2003. This assessment of needs was subject to public consultation at the time and was formally adopted by the elected members of the council. Additional treatment capacity is now proposed to cater for increases in demand that have become established since the original environmental impact statement for the plant in 1997 and to facilitate future development requirements in the Dublin region.

With regard to the scale of any capacity increase, this will be informed by the analysis of the Greater Dublin Strategic Drainage Study which I expect to be submitted to my Department shortly by the Dublin local authorities for consideration.