COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF RATHFARNHAM/TEMPLEOGUE/FIRHOUSE/BOHERNABREENA AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

QUESTION NO. 3

QUESTION: Councillor Alan Edge

To ask the Chief Executive to take remedial action to deal with the recurrent sewage overflow into a wooded area immediately adjacent to the main pathway and proposed location for the play-trail (map attached).

REPLY:

This is an Irish Water matter and relates to a capacity issue of the Dodder Valley Sewer, which is the main sewer that serves Tallaght and the South of SDCC and drains to Ringsend Sewage Treatment Plant.

Irish Water are aware of the issue.  They are carrying out a Drainage Area Plan (DAP) at present on this sewer which involves locating flow monitors throughout the network and collecting the data over various weather and flow conditions.  When this report is complete we expect it will include a plan on how to resolve capacity issues in this sewer.  In the meantime SDCC have erected fencing around the manhole that is most likely to surcharge in very heavy rainfall events.  This is for safety reasons, and to contain solids to assist in clean up following any surcharge event.  This manhole is located in a forest area away from the pathway and the proposed location for the play-trail.  If SDCC or Irish Water were to seal this manhole it would risk the emergence of the sewage from the Dodder Valley Sewer at another location possibly causing flooding of houses or roads.  We consider the current set up as the least harmful option until a more permanent solution is found by Irish Water.