A Dublin man was "furious" to find gallons of raw sewage gushing into the River Dodder following major development at Mount Carmel park.
Eoin Carroll from Carroll Contractors captured video footage of the incident in Dodder Valley Park during Monday night’s thunderstorm. The park recently reopened to the public following major works to install a nature trail, BMX pump track, new soccer pitch, grass running tracks and pathway extensions.
Eoin said: “The smell was absolutely disgusting." He told us the incident happened between 7.30 and 8pm on Monday evening when “we had thunder and lightning and a horrendous downpour of rain”.
Read more: Lightning blasts chimney off Dublin home during thunderstorms
The Tallaght resident added: “I was driving back and I said, ‘I’ll just go down and see the weir because it's fabulous when it’s in full flow’ but I wasn’t expecting to see the sewage popping up into it.
“It was fresh sewage just pumping up from the ground at a huge flow rate.
“It was Mt Carmel Park where the Dodder comes down. There’s a weir there that was built in the 1700s I think... to divert the water down to the Poddle to feed Dublin with drinking water.
“The council have done an awful lot of work there over the last year or two and have only opened it up to the public.
“That’s why I was furious with it... I think it’s desperate on the wildlife and the people who have been using it. They [the council] actually did a lovely job on it but it’s not so lovely now since it’s covered in sewage. Terrible to see something like that happen.”
Dublin City Council said they were “made aware of the incident this [Tuesday] morning and notified the relevant bodies”.
“Furthermore, DCC conducted an inspection of the River downstream, where the Dodder enters our jurisdiction,” they added. “Findings of the investigation will determine the appropriate course of action.”
This is not the first time there has been a massive overflow of effluent in the area. Dublin Live reported in February 2021 how locals were promised remedial works in 2019 after South Dublin County Council unveiled plans to put a children’s trail through the area of the park most affected by sewage issues.
Former Fianna Fail Councillor, Deirdre O’Donovan, said at the time other developments had been refused in the area because the main sewage pipe had reached full capacity.
South Dublin Mayor, Fianna Fail councillor Emma Murphy, told us: “There had been actions taken to mitigate it.
“[Monday] night’s flash flooding was absolutely crazy and it was not just Mount Carmel Park and Dodder Valley Park. But it does highlight again the challenges we are having with that sewer line - further actions probably do need to be taken.
“It does once again raise the impact of a changing climate and the impact we are seeing in Ireland.
“We have now moved beyond our moderate temperate climate with flooding just happening at times of heavy rain in winter and autumn. This just came out of nowhere and it does highlight some of the challenges we have.”
Mayor Murphy says she raised the sewage spill “with the council and there is a clean-up operation underway”.
“It has done a good bit of damage to surfaces along the Dodder Greenway and these gorgeous amenities,” she added. “I think questions are going to be raised over the next couple of days and we will see what comes out of that.”
An Uisce Éireann spokesperson said: "On the evening of Monday, May 8, following very heavy rainfall and thunderstorms over a short period of time (Yellow weather warning in place), the Dodder Valley sewer surcharged near Firhouse Weir in Dodder Valley Park. The unprecedented nature of the storm and the sheer volume of rainfall in a very short period of time caused a release on the network.
"Uisce Eireann has been liaising with South Dublin County Council, the EPA and Inland Fisheries Ireland in relation to the overflow, and a clean-up is being carried out in the area by South Dublin County Council."
Read next:
State objects The Monk's bid to have his estimated €400k legal costs paid for
Bob Geldof says he wouldn't take Late Late Show gig even if he was paid €1m
Lightning blasts chimney off Dublin home during thunderstorms
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.
