May meeting 2011

Chairperson:

• Michael Hehir, Local Resident

Committee members:

• Brian Fitzgerald, Local Resident
• Dominic Keating, Inagh Development Co Ltd
• John O'Loughlin, Local Resident
• Katie Lewis, Inagh N.S.
• Martin Queally, Local Resident
• Michael Mahony, Cloonanaha NS
• Perry Long, Local Resident
• Tom Long, Local Resident

Council officials:

• Paul Moroney
• Maeve Ryan
• James Keane
• Frances Mc Namara

Absent:

• John Longe, Local Resident (Apologies)
• Patrick O'Halloran, Local Resident
• Sheila Mc Tigue, Mike Mc Tigue Community Centre
  
• Cllrs Joe Arkins, Michael Hillery, Richard Nagle & Michael Kelly, Clare County Council

Main points:

Minutes of meeting held on 4th May 2011

• Proposed by John O'Loughlin
• Seconded by Brian Fitzgerald

Matters arising from minutes

Perry Long asked if any progress had been made regarding the Forestry Management Plan. Maeve Ryan replied that Forestry Consultants Green Belt Ltd had been on site since the last meeting and had advised that any trees planted over fifteen years could not be touched until maturity. Perry Long asked if there was an update on the trees growing on the embankment. Maeve Ryan replied that Brendan Keogh from the Gardening Section of Clare County Council was coming to the facility in the coming weeks to advise on the best approach concerning these trees. Paul Moroney added that any planting or forestry related issues required EPA approval in the context of the Closure, Restoration and Aftercare Management Plan.

Perry Long asked if Cell 12 was capped. Maeve Ryan replied that the clay cap is now 95% in place. Paul Moroney said that it was hoped to finish in Cell 13 by the end of October 2011 and while the sealed liner would be put in place at that stage that it may not be possible to put on the clay capping until March 2012.

Brian Fitzgerald asked if there was a timeframe on maintenance of the landfill after its closure. Paul Moroney replied that the Licence issued in respect of the landfill was of indefinite duration. It was generally expected that general municipal waste which was accepted at the landfill would produce gas / leachate for up to thirty years. The Risk Assessment carried out on the landfill covers a thirty year period after the closure of the landfill and Clare County Council will continue to actively manage gas and other issues at the facility during this period. In a reply to a question from Perry Long, Paul Moroney said that he did not envisage that the EPA would amend or relax any condition in the current Licence after the closure of the landfill.

Odour management:

Perry Long said that there had been a gas odour from an easterly direction over the past month. Maeve Ryan replied that while all the wells were connected that the wells were not permanently connected and would not be so until the end of May.

Maeve Ryan and James Keane informed the meeting that Odour Monitoring Ireland carried out a survey of the facility during March and that the final report from them is awaited. Maeve Ryan said that preliminary results of the survey indicated that all the leachate risers were clear. A few problem areas showed up around the newly capped cell; however these issues have since been rectified. There is a localised problem around the base of the litter fence posts at a number of points, due to the weight of these bases. As the litter fence is required throughout the life of cell 13, the problem will be resolved after the fencing has been taken down, as part of the capping project for cell 13. Maeve Ryan added that Clare County Council has commissioned Irish Biotech Systems Limited (IBSL) to install a new gas trunk main, to convert the existing main to a ring main and to install a new horizontal gas extraction system within the active cell. It is hoped to commence this work in late May 2011, after EPA approval has been received.

Correspondence:

Perry Long queried the correspondence received from the EPA relating to non-compliance with Condition 1.15.1 (i) of the Licence and asked what this related to. Maeve Ryan clarified that this referred to Clare County Council exceeding the 47% limit specified in the Licence for biodegradable municipal waste. She added that most landfills had not achieved the limit set by the EPA in this regard.

Perry Long also queried the correspondence sent to the EPA from Clare County Council requesting approval to accept material from Munster Joinery. Maeve Ryan said that this material was wood ash, and was a very useful material as a source of cover.

Any other business:

No further items were discussed under Any Other Business.

Date for next meeting:

The date for the next meeting is the 6th July 2011 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting concluded at 7:30 p.m.