'Sewerage in Pinkeen' claim

Relevant authorities are to be asked to test the water in Pinkeen stream, following a suspicion raised by Tony Gahan that sewerage is polluting the small waterway.



Raising the issue at the recent meeting of Kilcullen Community Action, he said it appeared to be coming from the new housing estates at Castlemartin.

"It is a big problem," he added. "There's no growth in Pinkeen now, not even a dock leaf will grow in it."

And he said that when he came to live in the area that he was told Pinkeen was a trout-spawn stream. "But there's not even frog-spawn there now."



J J Warren said it was an environmental problem that should be looked at by the Environmental Health Officer.

But Esther Kiely recalled that when there was a problem in Main Street about leaking sewerage, it had been very difficult to get the interest of the health authorities.



Tony Gahan also said that there had been a problem with kerosene or diesel oil in Pinkeen over the summer, and the source hadn't been traced.




Brian Byrne.

[ED NOTE: When the Diary went along to photograph Pinkeen for this report, there was indeed a strong smell of sewerage in the vicinity. In addition the Editor was quite disgusted at the rubbish thrown into a stream which, as a boy, he used to drink from while playing in the summer around Blacker's Wood. Wouldn't fancy doing so now!]