Faeces in Eyre Square; sewage in Galway Bay

Bradley Bytes – a sort of political column with Dara Bradley

Galway has a poo problem. If it’s not being dumped by revellers in every corner of Eyre Square, it’s flowing untreated into the Bay at Long Walk. What a Capital of Culture Galway has proved to be!

The issue of people literally taking a sh*t in Eyre Square is so bad, the Chief Executive of Galway City Council, Brendan McGrath came out last week to commend the outdoor staff at City Hall whose job it is to clean up the faecal matter, urine and vomit in the city’s most recognisable landmark.

As well as kudos, they deserve danger money.

The situation has reached such a nadir, the Council’s dog-fouling awareness campaign, ‘Clean it up you dirty pup’ should be rolled out in the Square – for humans.

Maybe a less folksy slogan would be appropriate, though. How about ‘Stop sh*tting in Eyre Square you filthy, feral brutes’?

It’s stark but to the point. And there’s no use pussy-footing around with people who relieve themselves in public parks. Especially when extra toilets were installed to help avoid a situation where faeces poses a public health risk.

The outrage from the city’s top civil servant was justified. And his candour in addressing the problem in a letter to Cllr John Connolly (FF) was welcome.

But where was the Chief Executive’s outrage about human waste flowing untreated into Galway Bay?

Eyre Square’s filth and squalor, as he put it, is indeed “appalling”. It is, however, time-specific; a product of Covid-19 lockdowns that will go away with more Gardaí and other public policy measures.

Untreated sewage flowing into Galway’s waters is the institutional equivalent of taking a dump in Eyre Square – and it’s been going on for far longer.

Back in 2006, a report by consultants, Tobin Engineers, recommended that Galway needed a new Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP). That’s 15 years ago.

In 2009, the then Director of Services for Planning, Ciaran Hayes, wrote to the Environmental Protection Agency, and conceded that a new WWTP was needed.

Hayes said: “The Mutton Island WWTP, on completion of upgrade works, will have sufficient capacity to cater for the wastewater load from Galway City and environs for a number of years.

“However, it will not have sufficient capacity to cater for the long-term needs of Galway City and its environs and it is proposed to construct a Galway East Wastewater Treatment Plant for this purpose. The outfall from this wastewater treatment plant would also be to Galway Bay, but to a different part of the Bay and potentially involving different water bodies of the Western River Basin District.”

Meanwhile, in recent weeks, drone footage and photographs of sewage spilling into Galway Bay have been published. Organisations such as An Taisce claim this situation will continue unless and until the long-promised Galway City East WWTP is delivered.

Isn’t it time there was a bit of outrage from the Council executive about the poo problem that is (partly) within its remit?

(Photo: Time for a bit of outrage at City Hall over raw sewage spilling into the water at Long Walk. Environmental groups say this will continue until the Galway City East Waste Water Treatment Plant is delivered).

This is a shortened preview version of Bradley Bytes. To read more, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.