The Government’s approval of funding for the upgrading of the Shannon Sewerage Scheme will significantly expand the quality and scale of the water and wastewater infrastructure in the town. The funding will enable Clare County Council to accept the tender of just over Eur1 million, submitted by Glen Agua, to provide for significant mechanical and electrical upgrading works at four pumping stations on the scheme.

“The existing pumps are over 45 years old. This project will provide capacity to support economic growth and to facilitate new development, while also preserving environmental and water quality standards,” says Shannon Senator Tony Mulcahy. The project is being funded under the Government’s Water Services Investment Programme 2010–2013.

The European Commission has approved funding for 202 new projects under the LIFE+ programme, the European Union’s environment fund. Among the projects approved is a Eur2.2 million project by Clare County Council for tourism on the Burren. Half the money will come from the European Commission and the other half is national co-funding.

The Burren project will build on previous work to protect the rich heritage of the Burren while supporting local employment and economic activity. The project aims to strengthen the integration of tourism and natural heritage, reconciling tourism development with conservation of biodiversity and cultural heritage in the Burren.

The Burren is internationally renowned for its karst limestone and a rich and diverse selection of flora and fauna, archaeological monuments and traditional cultural practices.

The other projects across Europe cover actions in the fields of nature conservation, environmental policy, climate change and information and communication on environmental issues. They represent a total investment of some €516.5 million, of which the EU will provide €268.4 million.

The Commission received 1 078 applications from the 27 EU Member States in response to its latest call for proposals, which closed in July 2011. Of these, 202 were selected for co-funding through the programme’s three components: LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity, LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance and LIFE+ Information and Communication.

Clare County Council has announced it is increasing its monitoring of illegal waste activity such as fly-tipping, backyard burning of waste and illegal waste collection after it successfully brought three cases against individuals at Ennis District Court. The Council secured three separate prosecutions in East and West Clare in relation to the illegal disposal of waste. The Court imposed heavy fines and awarded costs to the Council, averaging over €2,000 in each case.

Clare County Council says Waste Enforcement staff have expanded their inspections and patrols in areas vulnerable to illegal dumping to night-time and weekends. Enforcement work is carried out regularly and in conjunction with other local authorities, the Gardaí and other state agencies, while the Council also is utilising CCTV surveillance to detect illegal waste activity.

“Clare County Council, Ennis Town Council and Kilrush Town Council have made good progress in recent years in counteracting illegal waste activity,” explains Robert Burns, executive engineer. He warns, however, that illegal dumping and fly-tipping of waste remain a problem in the County.

“The three Councils want to send out a clear message to anyone involved in illegal waste activity that they will be pursued to the fullest extent possible under the law and, if detected, could be subject to a fine of up to €3,000 and a prison sentence of up to 12 months if found guilty at the district court,” he says.

Meanwhile, the Council is reminding the public that it is illegal to give their waste to an unauthorised collector, as persons involved in the collection of waste must have a valid waste collection permit.

The burning of household waste, or so-called ‘backyard’ burning, is also against the law. Complaints received by the Environment Directorate are followed up on by a site visit by the Patrol Warden, leading to resolution on site and/or warnings (verbal and written)/issue of fines or legal proceedings. Initial investigations may also lead to further visits to sites by Engineers or Scientists and to the issuing of enforcement notices.

As an alternative to using an authorised collection service, householders can bring their household waste to any one of the five recycling centres at Ennis, Shannon, Inagh, Lisdeen (Kilkee) and Scarriff operated by Clare County Council. The Council also operates a network of 53 bring bank sites throughout the county that typically accept glass bottles and drinks cans.

Clare County Council has announced details of the first ever Kilrush Biodiversity Week taking place from Monday, 23 April to Sunday, 29 April 2012. The inaugural programme of events will celebrate the many aspects of biodiversity in Kilrush and its environs from family days out in beautiful natural amenities to information and discussions about threats to biodiversity.

The aim of Kilrush Biodiversity Week is to encourage active learning about biodiversity through a range of enjoyable events and to increase public understanding that action taken locally has national and global importance. All events are free and family-orientated.

According to Mayor of Kilrush, Councillor Ian Lynch: “Kilrush is one of the most biodiversity-rich urban areas in County Clare. The Vandeleur Gardens and woodlands, Kilrush Creek, and the wetlands of the Shannon Estuary are wonderful examples of how natural sites can exist in close proximity or within urban areas.”

Clare biodiversity officer Shane Casey comments: “Many of the events taking place during the week will be aimed at the general public with other events targeted at primary and secondary schools in Kilrush. It is also hoped that members of the public who participate in Kilrush Biodiversity Week events can be encouraged to take an interest in helping to conserve biodiversity for future generations.”

A full programme of public events will be held on the weekend of April 28-29. There will be an early start on Saturday morning with a Dawn Chorus Walk in Vandeleur Woods at 5:30 am. A Moth Exhibition and Bug Hunt for children takes place in the Vandeleur Woods from 10:00 am, followed by a composting demonstration at 1 pm and a guided tour of the beautiful Vandeleur Walled Gardens. At 2:30 pm, Kilrush Secondary School will host a Wildlife Gardening Exhibition, while the day will concluded with a late night bat walk in Vandeleur Woods at 9:30 pm.

On Sunday 29 April, the focus will turn to the Shannon Estuary when a discounted price for Dolphin Watching Boat Trips will be available to members of the public. Meanwhile, Inland Fisheries Ireland will be inviting people to enjoy the marine touch pools at Cappa Pier at 12:00 pm, and participate in a seashore walk from 4 pm to discover the abundance of nature along the estuary from seaweed to waders.

Clare County Council, in association with An Taisce, is urging people all over Clare to get involved in the 14th annual National Spring Clean Campaign. Last year, hundreds of people across the county and more than a half a million people nationally came together to organise clean up events in their communities.

Participation in this year’s campaign, themed “Working Together – For Our Community”, is open to individuals, schools, businesses, and community groups such as Tidy Towns committees, residents’ associations, development associations and sporting organisations. Groups and individuals that register to participate are issued clean up kits containing valuable tips on how to hold a successful clean-up event, posters to advertise an event, plastic bags in which to collect litter and recyclable material, and tabards and gloves.

Mayor of Clare Councillor Pat Hayes says: “Litter is unfortunately a national problem and with limited resources the help of local communities is now more important than ever. It does not matter if it is two or 200 people that take part, it all helps to improve our local communities and environment and provides a better area for us all to enjoy.”

The Environment Section of Clare County Council will also assist community groups and schools by providing them with a free pass to Waste Transfer Stations at Ballyduffbeg, Inagh, Scariff and Lisdeen. Participating groups are reminded to take all possible steps to separate recyclables during clean-ups. Clare County Council will also provide litter pickers to groups subject to availability.

A wide range of groups, meanwhile, have received a letter from Clare County Council’s Environment Section inviting them to avail of a free pass to waste transfer stations to deposit waste from clean-ups.

Clare County Council has announced that a series of public consultations in relation to the Draft Shannon Town and Environs Local Area Plan 2012-2018 will take place next week. The plan, which is the first stand alone town plan that has been produced for Shannon, was placed on public display last month and will provide a framework for the future development and enhancement of Clare’s second largest town and its environs for the next 6 years.

Public consultations will take place at Unit A16 (Shaney Macs) in Shannon’s Skycourt Centre on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (16-18 January) from 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm, and on Thursday 19th January from 3:00 pm to 7:30 pm. A further public consultation will be held at Rineanna House in the Shannon Free Zone on Friday 20th January from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm.

According to Councillor Gerry Flynn, chairperson of Shannon Electoral Area: “The public consultation process presents members of the public with a valuable opportunity to have their say on the future development of their local community. I would encourage people from Shannon and its environs areas to inspect the Draft Local Area Plan before the submission deadline of 1st February, 2012. They will not get a better opportunity than over the next few weeks to influence the future economic and social development of their town and community.”

Clare County Council has launched an online advice and information guide to raise awareness of the importance of preparing for severe weather during winter. The ‘Be Winter-Ready’ guide has been published on the Council website, www.clarecoco.ie, and is part of a Government initiative launched in November.

The guide features flooding advice, tips on how to reduce the risk of water leakages and shortages during freezing weather, advice on clearing snow, safety tips for driving in snow and ice, and information for the farming community, as well as a range of other public health and safety advice.

In recent years, County Clare has experienced a number of severe weather episodes including flooding in November 2009, and prolonged cold periods in December 2009 and December 2010.

The Environment Section of Clare County Council has announced details of its annual environmental inspection plan which sets out a planned work programme aimed at maintaining and enhancing County Clare’s natural environment. The Plan sets out the inspection criteria for environmental inspections across all of the environment work areas including water, waste, air quality, noise and agriculture. It also sets the targets for undertaking inspections of regulated facilities and the method for dealing with complaints, enforcement actions and prosecutions.

The Plan has been submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency, which defines the schedule of inspections which will be undertaken during 2011.

In 2010, over 3,600 inspections were carried out by waste enforcement staff of Clare County Council covering, among other things, investigation of waste and litter complaints, inspections of permitted waste facilities, visits to tyre outlets and vehicle checkpoints to monitor movement of waste.

A similar level of activity is taking place under the 2011 environmental inspection plan with a particular focus on unauthorised sites used for disposal of end-of-life or scrap vehicles, proper recycling of organic waste by households and businesses and the appropriate management and collection of waste tyres.

Bord Pleanala has rejected an appeal by An Taisce against a Clare County Council decision to allow Hibernian Windpower to construct a wind farm incorporating 11 turbines of approximately 2500kW capacity each, at Boolynageragh, Lissycasey.

The development site, which is 3 kilometres north of Lissycasey, will have total rated electrical output of 27.5MW. The capital cost of the project is up to €50m.

The development is in line with the ESB’s policy to achieve 33% of generation from renewable resources by 2020, including 1,400 MW from wind generation.

Government funding has been allocated to Clare County Council to allow it to undertake flood alleviation measures in the vicinity of St. Flannan’s College in Ennis. Lands and properties surrounding the secondary school were badly affected by serious flooding in November 2009.

The proposed solution involves the construction of an overflow weir and over 1,000 linear metres of culvert to by-pass an existing swallow hole located to the rear of St Flannan’s College. Clare County Council is assessing tenders for this work and expects to appoint a consultant shortly, with construction work to be completed in 2011.

Clare County Council has formally opened two water services schemes with a combined cost of Eur7 million in the towns of Corofin and Tulla. The schemes consist of new wastewater treatment plants in addition to new and upgraded water supply and storm water infrastructure.

The schemes, which were part funded under the Water Services Investment Programme, are just two of an extensive number of projects delivered by the Water Services Capital Projects section of Clare County Council particularly during the past four to five years.

Speaking about the work on over 10 projects, and 20 contracts completed in this period was particularly appreciative of the commitment by the staff of the water services section.

“In the period from 2006 to 2010 the Water Services Capital Projects team will have project managed contracts to the value of Eur45 million, peaking at over Eur20 million in 2008, thanks to the committed diligence of the engineering and administrative staff,” comments David Timlin, director of services, Clare County Council.”Although the rate of spend is reducing relative to recent years, the Council will still spend Eur7 million in 2011, including upgrades to Ennis & Shannon Main Drainage schemes as well as rehabilitation contracts on the Ennis Water Network.”

Clare County Council has confirmed that the final completion of a €5 million Water Scheme contract will be required to provide a long term resolution to the water quality issues experienced in the Ballyvaughan area. Two Boil Notices have already been issued this year.

According to Hugh McGrath, a senior engineer with the Water Services Section of Clare County Council, the new scheme will deliver the required improvements to the quality of water being supplied to consumers in the area.

“While a degree of reluctance has been expressed by a small number of consumers to embrace the new regional supply, the current issues in Ballyvaughan demonstrate clearly the imperative need for connection to the regional scheme. From the Council’s perspective, as the water authority, we are extremely concerned about these incidents, and are most anxious to get the regional supply connected as soon as possible,” he explains. “We expect this to happen by the end of 2010.”