Pollution upstream from tap water source

It’s suspected hundreds of thousands of tonnes of putrid waste were buried at four riverside sites near the facility just hundreds of metres upstream from where the Carmoney treatment plant extracts drinking water for 50,000 people in Londonderry.

City Industrial Waste was shut down following a year long investigation into suspected illegal dumping on the Mobuoy Road site - just downstream of Gorticross.

In Spring 2012, a Department of the Environment (DoE) officer noticed bubbles in a pond in what turned out to be a totally illegal site near City Industrial Waste.

The officer believed the bubbles may have been caused by methane escaped from buried landfill.

In one of his last acts as Environment Minister Alex Attwood - who closed the plant down - promised extensive monitoring of the Faughan area had been initiated following the discovery of the illegal waste and that this would continue.

“To date no significant water quality impacts in the River Faughan have been identified through this monitoring programme, although pollution of a tributary that flows past the formerly licensed waste management facility has been detected - enforcement action in relation to this will form part of the wider investigation.

“The monitoring will continue in order that any problems are picked up early in order that action can be taken.

“The monitoring on site and in water are extensive and I have directed they continue to be so,” he stated.

He was quizzed on the environmental impact of the waste fiasco by Green MLA Stephen Agnew.

Mr Attwood stated: “I am fully aware of the ecological significance of this area, particularly in terms of our salmon population and the general biodiversity the river system supports.

“I have instructed officials to closely monitor the site in question and the river itself for as long as is necessary.”

Last month Derry City Council said investigating officers had confirmed “the presence of a fly infestation on the City Industrial Waste site at Mobuoy Road.”