Kerdiffstown cleanup project progressing

October 21, 2016

Planning Permission & EPA Licence
The preparations of applications for planning permission and an EPA licence are ramping up, with the issuing of the Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping report this week.  This Scoping Report, which will be circulated to statutory consultees, sets out the scope of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that will be submitted to both An Bord Pleanálá and the Environmental Protection Agency early next year as part of applications to remediate the Kerdiffstown Landfill site.  This Scoping Report process allows statutory consultees to raise any issues of concern to be examined as part of the EIA. The project team will also be engaging with the local community over the coming months to ensure that all issues of concern are addressed as part of the EIA, with a series of public meetings planned.  Detailed information on the site will also be uploaded to www.kerdiffstonwncleanup.ie over the coming weeks to allow members of the public examine the detail of the project and the environmental status at the site, in advance of the formal applications being submitted.

Boreholes
The outline design for the site is also progressing with plans now advanced for the method by which the odours that impacted the Naas area for many years will be permanently contained and controlled, as well as key protection measures for the River Morell installed. To date temporary measures have stabilised the site, but the full remediation of the site is required to minimise any risk the site poses in the long term.  To aid key design decisions over the coming months, additional boreholes are to be drilled, with works commencing next week to install a series of boreholes both on and offsite over an approximately 8 week period.  These boreholes will provide information about: the quality and nature of the ground to aid design engineers; help control gas and odours; and provide information about the quality of the groundwater in the area.

Demolition
Engineering works to partially demolish some dangerous buildings at the site will also commence next week, with a work programme which will take nearly 5 months to complete.  These works will allow access to key areas of the site which have been out-of-bounds on health & safety grounds.  These derelict buildings have deteriorated to the point where they now have to be taken down allow the preparations for the remediation to progress safely.  The limited quantity of waste that is contained in some of these buildings and which would become exposed to the elements, will be placed and sealed in the lined waste cell at the site, which has been assessed as fit for use.

While every effort is always made at the site to limit odour impact, it is possible that at certain times, dependant on weather, during periods when boreholes are being drilled or waste is being deposited in the lined cell, there may be odour experienced. This deposition of waste from the buildings in the lined will be on a very limited scale and will only occur at set times during the works.  If you do experience any odour from the landfill please contact the project team at the below contact numbers.

Public consultation
A public consultation regarding the future end use of the site and the possible use of the site as an amenity ended on May 25th of this year.  Submissions have been made by Kildare County Council to the Dept. of Community Climate Action and Environment, who are funding the remediation and the Council anticipates that a decision on the end use will be made shortly.

Community Liaison Group
The remediation project team met with the 'Kerdiffstown Landfill Community Liaison Group' on Wednesday evening (October 19th) as part of an ongoing commitment of engagement with local residents and other affected groups.  The Community Liaison Group was briefed about the overall progress on the project; the upcoming works; and the current stable environmental status of the site.  It is planned that engagement with the wider community will increase over the coming months to ensure full participation by all stakeholders in the drafting of applications to An Bord Pleanálá and the Environmental Protection Agency. Planned community engagement events will be widely publicised over the coming months.

The remediation of the landfill will take in the order of 5 to 7 years and the final restored site will comprise a waterproof cap to effectively isolate the waste in order to protect surface water and groundwater, as well as measures to control landfill gas and odours. Kildare County Council is committed to the ongoing management of site and the Council will continue to update the project website www.kerdiffstowncleanup.ie as matters progress.

The Kerdiffstown Landfill remains under the supervision of the Kildare County Council, using powers available under Section 56 of the Waste Management Act. The site is managed on a day-to-day basis by a dedicated site manager, a team of security personnel and other staff to control 'leachate' (the run-off water that percolates through the waste) and landfill gas. Kildare County Council will continue to issue community updates as the project progresses.

ENDS

Further information:

Head Office, Áras Chill Dara, Devoy Park, Naas, Co Kildare. W91 X77F

Telephone (045) 980200 Fax (045) 980240 Emergency Number 1890 50 03 33

Text Number 087 9607899 Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it