An environmental group has accused the Department of the Environment of suppressing a damming report on the contamination at Haulbowline Island which the Department itself commissioned.

The Report, dated 2 July 2008 and produced by NRGE, Nutrient Recovery to Energy Generation, a consultancy in Co. Tipperary, is the result of samples taken from the sides of 15 trial pits excavated by a mechanical excavator during May, 2008.

Samples showed that levels of lead in the soil are more that 25 times the Irish legal limit. Cadmium is more than 10 times the limit. All of the samples analysed exceeded the hazardous landfill limits in the Landfill Directive.

The work revealed a honeycomb of formed underground cells containing contaminated by-products from the foundry.

‘The Report shows that ‘concentrations of leachable heavy metal elements’ are ‘exposed to the effects of tidal action and the backwash of passing vessels as well as continual seepage through rainwater’.

A spokesman said ‘White Young Green’s conclusion was the ‘concentrations of contaminates’ was not high enough ‘to transport to potential receptors’. This report shows that in fact some concentrations of heavy metals analysed exceed the recent White Young Green Report by more than 1,000,000%.

Although the Report was submitted to the Department in September, it is not referred to in White Young Green’s Report.

NRGE’s brief agreed with the Department was to quantify the nature and extent of the contaminated material left on the part of the East Tip subject to the clean up. The Report was commissioned after 5 months of the surface cleanup ordered by Cork County Council had led to over 100,000 tons of contaminated soil being exported in 41 shiploads to Germany.

The initial NRGE Report on the extent of the contamination, dated 28 May 2008, led to the Department of the Environment seeking the termination of the NRGE contract. The following week the contractors were ordered off the site ‘on legal advice’.

The Report quantifies the remaining waste on the East Tip section of the island ‘to be in the order of 280,000 tons.’

Contaminants include heavy metals such as mercury, zinc and lead as well as hydrocarbons, PCBs and Chromium, highly toxic carcinogens.

FIE says the NRGE Report, entitled ‘Quantification of contaminated materials on the East Tip Head and former steelworks site at Haulbowline Ringaskiddy, Co. Cork’ was submitted to the Department at the beginning of September, 2008.

A spokesman for FIE said that the failure of the Department to make this report public broke the Minister’s promise ‘to be as transparent as possible’ and to place ‘relevant and accurate information in the public domain to counter the misinformation being circulated’.

The Report is available from FIE’s website library.

http://www.friendsoftheirishenvironment.net/cmsfiles/files/library/nrge_report_2.07.08.pdf