Ulick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 389: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the environmental condition of the old Tynagh Mine site in Loughrea, County Galway; if his Department will take responsibility for a rehabilitation plan in co-operation with the owners of the site in view of the fact that the EPA described it as an environmental time bomb; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24289/07]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The Tynagh mine was worked under a State Mining Lease from 1965 to 1982. In 1983 the Lease expired and the site was rehabilitated in accordance with the Lease conditions. My Department has now no right to pursue the former mine operators to carry out any additional rehabilitation works. According to the records of my Department the mine site was sold in 1984 and is currently in use for a variety of activities, including a galvanising company.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) carried out an investigation in 2002 and 2003 reporting to a liaison group set up by Galway County Council, which is responsible for enforcing environmental legislation there. The group also included representatives of my Department, the Western Health Board, the local Veterinary Office, the OPW and local residents. The key findings of the report were that elevated metal concentrations were confined to the mine site and its immediate vicinity, that surface water quality in the areas was satisfactory and that the concentrations of heavy metals were unlikely to give rise to toxicity problems in livestock.

The EPA, in conjunction with the Geological Survey of Ireland, is carrying out a national inventory of inactive and abandoned mine sites, one of which is Tynagh. This inventory is being carried out in part to comply with Directive 2006/21/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 on the Management of Waste from Extractive Industries and amending Directive 2004/35/EC. This is a two-year project with work ongoing and is due for completion in the first half of 2008. Data from a number of sites has been collected and is currently being assessed.

In advance of the final report the EPA wrote to Galway County Council highlighting some preliminary results. It is a matter for Galway County Council to take action, if it sees fit, as the responsible authority, on the specific points raised by the EPA. Until the inventory is complete it would be premature to make any judgments on any requirement for wider action on this or any other site.