A Clare environmental group is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to do its job and assess the potentially harmful effects of a new development on the Shannon Estuary.
The EPA granted a new licence to Aughinish Alumina to extend its dredging operations in the vicinity of Foynes Port and to dump dredged materials at a new site near Foynes Island.
Futureproof Clare has expressed its opposition to the permit’s renewal, claiming it will result in the equivalent of 5,000 double-decker buses of potential contaminated muddy sand annually.
Campaign spokesperson Sinéad Sheehan is seeking greater due diligence from the environmental watchdog.
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Following a query from Clare FM, the Environmental Protection Agency issued the following response.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Dumping at Sea Permit, with conditions, to Aughinish Alumina Limited for loading and dumping of dredged material arising from maintenance dredging adjacent to the marine jetty at the Aughinish Alumina facility at Aughinish Island, Askeaton, County Limerick.
In the period to December 2032, the permit provides for the loading and dumping at sea of 453,075 tonnes of dredged material arising from maintenance dredging adjacent to the marine jetty at the Aughinish Alumina facility at Aughinish Island, Askeaton, County Limerick. It also contains more than 60 individual conditions relating to the environmental management, operation, control and monitoring of the activity.
Public participation and consultation with statutory consultees, were carried out during this EPA permit assessment process.
The EPA will monitor and enforce these conditions through environmental audits, unannounced site visits and systematic checks.
The Final Permit and the Inspector’s Report for Aughinish Alumina Limited can be accessed on the EPA website here
Further information on the licensing process can be found on the EPA website.
