Posted online: Mar 6th, 2008

By Elaine McFadden
elaine@letterkennypost.com
Stomach churning loads of excrements is being pumped into the Swilly on a daily basis the Letterkenny Post can reveal.
As these shocking pictures show, lumps of faeces, condoms and other waste enters the river at the Ballyraine basin, south of the Pin Tavern Bar, putting fish and other wildlife at high risk.
This steady stream of raw sewage has been allowed to continue for approximately the last 18 months, according to Councillor Neil Clarke who brought the issue to the attention of the Town Council this week.
“There is tall grass and reeds at the area with human waste materials stuck to them and all sorts of other materials that you can only imagine,” Cllr Clarke told the Letterkenny Post.
“I went to the water services and the sewerage works and made a complaint to them, asking them to look about it.
We talk about creating a river side walk, but it wouldn’t’ be very endearing or appropriate for tourists to walk alongside this,” he said.
In response to Cllr Clarke’s question at the Town Council meeting, the Town Clerk Paddy Doherty replied that foul manholes in the area have surcharged due to the huge volume of water entering the foul sewage system and the trunk sewer becomes heavily overloaded during periods of intense rainfall, causing the problem.