No threat to drinking water: Durkan

There had been speculation created that the dump was polluting the City’s drinking water. This is simply not the case.

Visiting the site Mark H Durkan said: “There has been some speculation that waste from the massive illegal dump at Mobuoy was polluting the River Faughan and in turn Derry’s drinking water.

“Extensive monitoring of this site has shown no evidence of any adverse impact on either the water quality of the drinking water supply to Derry or to the water quality of the River Faughan. We remain vigilant. I can assure the people of Derry that I’m doing all I can to ensure there is no threat to the quality of their drinking water. My Department will continue to work closely with NI Water to ensure that all necessary safeguards continue to be in place.

“Over the past three years, my Department has spent £1.2million in clearing the City and Industrial Waste Site, removing leachate, completing an extensive risk assessment of the waste site and in managing surface water run-off where necessary.

“DOE is now developing a detailed remediation strategy for the site at additional costs of £150,000. This study will be complete by the end of this year although given the size and complexity of this site, full implementation of any remediation strategy is unlikely to be immediate. The development of this strategy will consider all viable options including the removal of the waste.

“Keeping stakeholders fully informed and consulted is important. My officials have recently held two stakeholder meetings. I want to reassure everyone that dealing with this issue is a key priority for me.”