UISCE Éireann has come under fire for what’s been described as a lack of transparency over the long-running sewage saga at Shannonvale Park.

Campaign group Clean Water Clonakilty said recent statements from the utility service downplay a problem documented for years. Spokesperson Alan Dromey accused Uisce Éireann of issuing misleading claims, denying any link between Shannonvale Park and local drinking water supplies—claims he said contradicted the utility’s own engineering reports.

Data obtained under a Freedom of Information request confirmed runoff from the park had entered the River Argideen, which feeds the Jones Bridge water treatment plant.

Campaigners believe the park’s overflowing sewage, located about a mile upstream, contributes to repeated shutdowns at the plant.

‘This directly conflicts with the narrative now being presented,’ Mr Dromey said.

‘It raises serious questions as to why Uisce Éireann is attempting to distance the park from the drinking water system, despite clear evidence to the contrary.’

An email seen by The Southern Star, dated February 28th, 2018, shows a senior Cork County Council engineer warning Uisce Éireann that the Shannonvale system ‘does NOT work’.

The engineer described how combined surface and wastewater enters a 15-cubic-metre tank, from which effluent percolates into lateral pipes.

‘The tank does not operate as a septic tank… it is more of a holding tank due to the large amount of surface water,’ the email said.

Mr Dromey also pointed to an unusually high number of automatic shutdowns at the Jones Bridge treatment plant—41 between January 2020 and February 2024—compared with seven in Bandon and 12 in Innishannon over the same period.

The utility attributed these shutdowns to spikes in ammonia and nitrate levels.

The Jones Bridge plant supplies drinking water to over 20,000 people in the wider Clonakilty area.

Mr Dromey said the frequency of shutdowns demanded clear public explanations, citing residents’ reports of strong chlorine smells and discoloured tap water  during heavy rainfall.

‘This is not just a Shannonvale or Clonakilty issue. It’s a West Cork issue. It’s affecting all of us,’ he said.

He pointed out that the problem persisted only months after Uisce Éireann was prosecuted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) following decades of inaction at Shannonvale Park.

Last September, the utility was fined €4,000 at the High Court for breaching its wastewater licence.

At one point fed-up campaigners renamed the park ‘Uisce Éireann Park’ to protest sewage leaks that have left it unusable for almost three decades.

‘After 28 years, patience is gone,’ Mr Dromey said.

‘People deserve transparency on why this plant is shutting down so often and, more importantly, decisive action needs to be taken.’

Uisce Éireann said the raw water intake at Jones Bridge was continuously monitored with automated shutdown capability triggered by certain conditions.

The utility said it prioritised public health and assured customers the drinking water was safe and meets all regulatory standards, with the septic tank in Shannonvale undergoing routine inspection and maintenance.