The delay in providing much-needed water and sewerage schemes in Mayo due to the Polluter Pays Principle (PPP ) could soon be the subject of an investigation by the European Commission following a recent meeting between Labour's Councillor Keith Martin and Labour MEP Proinsias De Rossa.
Cllr Martin, along with a delegation of Labour Party councillors and representatives, travelled to Brussels to meet with Mr De Rossa in the European Parliament where Cllr Martin discussed the five major sewerage and water schemes on hold in Mayo due to a failure to meet the massive financial requirements under the Polluter Pays Principle under the European Water Framework Directive.
According to Cllr Martin: “Achill has been waiting 30 years for a sewerage scheme, Westport and Louisburgh are waiting for a connection to Lough Mask, Kilitmagh is waiting on both a water connection to Lough Mask and a sewerage scheme, while Ballina is also waiting on an extension to its water supply system.
“The numbers involved are huge, for example the Lough Mask connection to Westport and Louisburgh will cost €28m of which €8.5m is the county council's payment under the Polluter Pays Principle, for the Kiltimagh sewerage Mayo County Council must pay €2.3m, for the area's water scheme the cost is €22m with a (PPP ) contribution of €6m.
“These are huge sums of money and until they are found these schemes are on hold. There is also no discrimination between rural and urban areas and there is no extra support for the BMW region.”
Mr De Rossa was “receptive and has offered his full support in seeking a solution” according to Cllr Martin. Mr De Rossa believes there may be a problem in how the Irish Government currently interprets the Water Directive and “I am going to investigate the issue of implementation at local, national and European level”.
The Labour Cllr continued: “I have requested a full report on the impact of the Polluter Pays Principle in Mayo from the county manager and I have also requested that the Department of the Environment do the same.”
