Councillors in Castlebar have backed a call from Fine Gael Cllr Ger Deere to have a waste water pipe that crosses the river in Castlebar town to be removed.
Cllr Deere raised the issue at the recent meeting of the Castlebar Municipal District, saying that the pipe, which was installed over 15 years ago, was unsightly and posed a deterrent to the use of the river for water based activities. He also said that if there was a leak from the pipe it could cause a serious environmental impact as the river was a tributary of the Moy.
He went on to say that given the proposed redevelopment of the old Lavelle's Bakery - near the pipe location - this matter should now be looked at seriously. Cathaoirleach of the district, Cllr Michael Kilcoyne, added that he remembered that the initial contract for the work was to have the pipe running along the river, not over it and asked why that was changed.
Fianna Fáil Cllr Al McDonnell supported the idea saying that while the pipe hadn't leaked, if it did in the future it could have disastrous consequences.
