‘Get to the bottom of Killybegs stink problem’ Cllr appeals

An ongoing but relatively new “stink” problem along the popular walk area off Killybegs promenade area, has raised a whiff of indignation amongst Killybegs walkers, Cllr Niamh Kennedy told councillors at the monthly meeting of the Donegal Municipal District in Donegal Town this week.

She said that the area affected appeared to be as close to the town to the slipway where the coast guard usually launches.

Cllr Kennedy said: “We were thinking initially that there must be something coming from Veolia and Irish Water but we couldn't put the finger on it. It is emanating and gets stronger as you go towards that direction.

“Nobody is sure whether it is flushing from factories, is it effluent, is it coming from the Veolia plant but the smell is certainly lingering on and it is something that needs to be investigated.

“It is something that is definitely there and locals smell it every day,” she said.

Cllr Kennedy pointed out that the first complaints about the odour that started to go into the council only seem to have started in 2021.  

She said that the matter had been brought to the attention of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and that it had also gone through to Veolia and Uisce Eireann “but we never got to the bottom of it”.

She added: “People locally are going mad again about this. They are saying this is not good enough. We have all these cruise ships passengers coming in, we have all these walkers on that stretch of road morning, noon and night. We need the matter resolved.”

Suzanne Bogan, the council’s waste awareness officer in the environment section responded that she will “go through the process” of investigating where the smell may be coming from.

It is understood that this will involve taking water samples from the area, in order to pinpoint the origins of any leakage that may be causing the odour and which is so annoying locals at present.