Kerdiffstown dump on fire, might burn for months

Rabidlamb

I drove in past the ball this morning & could smell the smoke.
I thought it was my car until I saw the smoke in the air.
The fire service says this could burn for months.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/fears-over-fire-that-cant-be-put-out-2511027.html

The hearsay & conjecture in work is that there's no security & the gates have been removed for their recycling value, if you follow my drift.
Apparently burning rubbish provides easier access to scrap metals.

In closing we are all going to die.
Who needs an incinerator in Poolbeg, we have one in Naas.

ronaneire

Rabidlamb wrote: »

I drove in past the ball this morning & could smell the smoke.
I thought it was my car until I saw the smoke in the air.
The fire service says this could burn for months.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/fears-over-fire-that-cant-be-put-out-2511027.html

The hearsay & conjecture in work is that there's no security & the gates have been removed for their recycling value, if you follow my drift.
Apparently burning rubbish provides easier access to scrap metals.

In closing we are all going to die.
Who needs an incinerator in Poolbeg, we have one in Naas.

You got that part right.

There has been on going issues with fires over the past while.

91011

Whatever about bankers & developers destroying the country, all they destroyed was wealth.

This is a very serious health hazard and I'm very surprised that the operators are not awaiting trial for the blatant breaches of environmental & health legislation that will cause medium & long term health affects to mnay people in the area.

Probably going to be the number 1 issue in the election in these parts.

gsxr1

Im getting so sick of this issue. I seen the smoke from Tesco this evening.

How can one go to jail for not paying a TV licence and the owner of this site get off scott free.

I keep getting letters in the door from E Stagg saying he is making progress .

What a joke!

Straffan1979

What a shambles this is.
A massive illegal dump on the doorstep of KCC ,licensed in part by the EPA and built on the site of a former gravel pit giving direct access for leachate to get into groundwater and with a major tributary of the River Liffey - the River Morrell not 100 yards from the boundary.
Did the so called experts in the EPA not realise or question the potential for catastrophic pollution and that this is water that ends up down at the dam in Leixlip to provide water for Dublin/Kildare.
Its also tragic that the lower reaches of the Morrel are one of the last good spawning beds still actively used by Salmon each winter
to spawn.
Who'll be held accountable for this??
Not KCC, not the Operators,not the EPA-
I'll tell you who-In true Irish style NOBODY will.
As someone who lives on the bank of the river Morrell i've never been more angry.

gsxr1

Blowing into sallins today. Smoke haze everywhere.

leopoldbloom

I'm looking for an email address for someone from Clean Air Naas for a story in the NUIM student newspaper on the Kerdiffstown blaze. can anyone PM me contact details?

Thanks

Le_Dieux

gsxr1 wrote: »

Blowing into sallins today. Smoke haze everywhere.

Driving up the M7 this morning, there was a large plume of smoke hanging over to the left by the ball...Sallins direction I would think. Also, terrible waft in the area also.

This on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os0JVuVnClU

WH BONNEY

As a result of the smell that had engulfed Naas today I decided to drive out to the site today to see exactly what was going on.

I have to say that I was taken aback by the depressing state of the site.

I would encourage any residents of Naas to visit the location. Access is easy as the gates are open. Believe me, you will have a few questions for any canvassers for the upcoming elections.

It is hard to put into words how bad and depressing the situation is. I cannot comprehend how this problem was allowed to develop into the wasteland that it now is.

I'm no tree hugger or enviromentalist but this would actually make me consider it.

Benny_Cake

Sallins residents have my sympathies this evening, was coming off the M7 at the Big ball this evening and could see and smell the smoke...amazed that I only heard about the fire yesterday evening. What with the election it seems unlikely to be big news anytime soon, I'm no fan of parish pump politics but mention it to any canvassers!

gsxr1

So why cant this be put out. Im thinking a big excavator would soon pull apart the mound of rubbish so the fire brigade can deal with it.

guil

gsxr1 wrote: »

So why cant this be put out. Im thinking a big excavator would soon pull apart the mound of rubbish so the fire brigade can deal with it.

god knows how deep or wide its burning underneath, also there would be an enormous amount of methane under it aswell

gsxr1

guil wrote: »

god knows how deep or wide its burning underneath, also there would be an enormous amount of methane under it aswell

it was just on the RTE news. The army are trying to deal with now

beertons

It's been pretty bad the past few days alright. Don't want to open the windows in the house, coz the place would stink.

91011

gsxr1 wrote: »

So why cant this be put out. Im thinking a big excavator would soon pull apart the mound of rubbish so the fire brigade can deal with it.

Have you seen the size of it?

It would need to be the biggest excavator on earth and you'd need a dozen of them.:D

The dump is almost 50 acres in size - that's three times the size of Croke Park including stands & pedestrian areas.

gsxr1

91011 wrote: »

Have you seen the size of it?

It would need to be the biggest excavator on earth and you'd need a dozen of them.:D

The dump is almost 50 acres in size - that's three times the size of Croke Park including stands & pedestrian areas.

but after I seen the you tube link above, the smoke is coming from the one spot. I am going there today as I have a day off. with a camera.

Even if it did need a dozen. it has to be done. Thank god its not hitting sallins today.

William72

This is really bad around Naas tonight - its a fupping disgrace to be honest - I know what my #1 question to the local councillors looking to get elected to the Dail will be - how did you let that happen and what are you going to do about it. Even if it took 100 excavators (ok I'm getting mad now..) - it needs to be done - its not like we don't have the equipment or manpower to spare!

muletide

Just stepped out there and I can smell it outside the Killashee hotel, which must be a good 5-6 miles away. God help the people living in the Sallins and monread areas of Naas- it must be unbearable

Birdnuts

Straffan1979 wrote: »

Who'll be held accountable for this??
Not KCC, not the Operators,not the EPA-
.

The people affected need to get legal advice on suing one or more of the above. This is a problem that has been building up for years during which the relevant authorities were made well aware of what was going on. A trip to Brussels might be worthwhile as it is a road others who have also been badly let down by the likes of the EPA have done - http://www.kilkennypeople.ie/news/Ormonde-Brick-slammed-in-EU.3365087.jp

guil

gsxr1 wrote: »

but after I seen the you tube link above, the smoke is coming from the one spot. I am going there today as I have a day off. with a camera.

Even if it did need a dozen. it has to be done. Thank god its not hitting sallins today.

William72 wrote: »

This is really bad around Naas tonight - its a fupping disgrace to be honest - I know what my #1 question to the local councillors looking to get elected to the Dail will be - how did you let that happen and what are you going to do about it. Even if it took 100 excavators (ok I'm getting mad now..) - it needs to be done - its not like we don't have the equipment or manpower to spare!

would either of ye risk your lives digging into an unknown fire with an extremely flammable gas present, an excavator could easily be engulfed in flames

gsxr1

Birdnuts wrote: »

The people affected need to get legal advice on suing one or more of the above. This is a problem that has been building up for years during which the relevant authorities were made well aware of what was going on. A trip to Brussels might be worthwhile as it is a road others who have also been badly let down by the likes of the EPA have done - http://www.kilkennypeople.ie/news/Ormonde-Brick-slammed-in-EU.3365087.jp

how would one proceed in this way.

I have children living in sallins and dont see why the greed and fortune of one man should affect my family's heath and well being.

I would sue . Why not. the Owner of the dump seems to be using the law as a guardian

DWCommuter

Im in Roseville, Naas and it has been literally pungent for days and days. My only suggestion right now is to nail the ignorant ****er responsible to a cross and stick it right in the middle of the smelly dump he used in an attempt to put more money in his bank account, with absolutely no due diligence to the community or any semblence of accountability.

Only since it started to burn are the national media and state really taking notice, but they were warned about this. Why oh why has a so called civilised country allowed this to happen?

I nominate Anthony Dean of Nephin trading to be impaled first.

Hard to believe all this happened while the Greens were in Government.

muletide

The smell is actually getting worse outside now. This really is a disgrace- it's a pity that no one can be held financially or criminally responsible because of the dissolution of the group involved.
I just hope there can be a speedy temporary solution for the households living near the area- followed up by a proper investigation. But I don't think we will ever see someone serving time for the misery they have caused.

This is IMO going to drag on foronths (If not years) and will make life unbearable in Naas

gsxr1

guil wrote: »

would either of ye risk your lives digging into an unknown fire with an extremely flammable gas present, an excavator could easily be engulfed in flames

yes. I would do it. It has to be done.

Someone has to do it.. And I guess its going to be hard to get a fire man with an excavator ticket .

so why not. . Im sure all precautions will be taken to deal with safely.

Birdnuts

gsxr1 wrote: »

how would one proceed in this way.

I have children living in sallins and dont see why the greed and fortune of one man should affect my family's heath and well being.

I would sue . Why not. the Owner of the dump seems to be using the law as a guardian

I would get advice from the likes of An Taisce and Friends of the Irish Environment who have experience in this area given the poor environmental record(especially in respect of basic enforcement issues like this one) of the current and previous Irish Governments and their statutory authorities like the EPA and KCC.

gsxr1

It looks like security is being set up now .

A machine was digging around the gate earlier today . It looks like new gates are being installed

They also have machine working inside the dump.

DWCommuter

gsxr1 wrote: »

It looks like security is being set up now .

A machine was digging around the gate earlier today . It looks like new gates are being installed

They also have machine working inside the dump.

Just back from there now. The site is floodlit. A lot of activity going on, but it continues to burn and the smell is worse. One would wonder if we actually have the expertise to deal with this.

Cicero

The politicians are certainly going to get it in the neck when they call to my door at the next election.....whatever about the "National" crisis, when they start going down the road of "local issues" to try and distract me from all the other things that are going on in the country like they ususally do, they'll regret they ever pushed the doorbell...

....while I'm not living next to it, I am in the county of Kildare and not a million miles from it...the smoke and fire is only the start of this...what about the smell for the last number of years on the outskirts of Naas?..what about the cost of clean up?...what about the health issues for years to come for people living close to it..?

benthebeetle

Just took a spin up to the site. Security guard came over to me. Nice Polish fella. Actually all the lads I spoke to were from Poland (not surprised). Surely at the very least, these guys should have been wearing face masks as the smoke is actually so bad that it makes you gag. A horrible dry feeling in your throat that makes you want to get the hell out of there. The plume is drifting South East towards Punchestown right now and with this Northerly wind combined with High Pressure the toxic plume is blowing into the most densely populated areas around Naas this weekend.

Let there be no confusion here, this is an Environmental disaster. I think the EPA is not putting all there cards on the table and information is being spun to make this not look as bad as it really is. No ones knows what is in this dump as it was an illegal site until 2003 and after that the operators breached there licence continously until proceedings were initiated by the EPA and this resulted in the clousure in 2010.

Some links below that explain what a Subsurface Landfill Fire is and how they happen:

http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/swfacilities/Fires/LFFiresGuide/default.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landfill_fire

benthebeetle

Just found this link to an IT article last year.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1129/1224284371403.html

Thank God for Boards, it a very good record of what has been going on here.

Where the hell was the EPA in all of this ? Why was this let go on so long ? No controls by the EPA, no monitoring, no enforcement. Nothing. Who is accountable ?

Now we all have to pay for this mess....

DWCommuter

Accountability runs like this;

Nephin Trading and its corrupt Directors and associated companies are accountable for breaking the law.

KCC are accountable for ignoring it.

The EPA are accountable for failing in their duty of care.

The DOE are accountable and what makes it even more sickening is that it was a Green Party Minister.

And right at the top table are the cabinet for letting these agencies fail.

I appreciate that legal proceedure takes time, but the entire back story to this issue stinks like the dump itself. Nobody will be sent to jail and nobody will resign. The book will be passed and passed.

Only now with the dump on fire and the national media taking a consistant interest do we see the start of some action. Personally I'd like to see the Directors of Nephin Trading left homeless and pennyless after this.

DWCommuter

And here's our A1 Waster Mr. Anthony Dean.

Birdnuts

benthebeetle wrote: »

Just found this link to an IT article last year.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1129/1224284371403.html

Thank God for Boards, it a very good record of what has been going on here.

Where the hell was the EPA in all of this ? Why was this let go on so long ? No controls by the EPA, no monitoring, no enforcement. Nothing. Who is accountable ?

Now we all have to pay for this mess....

The EPA are a waste of space - their board is full of IBEC types from the very industries there supposed to be regulating, go figure:rolleyes:

www.villagemagazine.ie/index.php/2011/01/unloved-epa/

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/71766

SIX PACK

It may take several weeks and more than €2m to extinguish an underground fire as big as 10 houses raging at an abandoned dump.

And yesterday health experts were due to visit householders living near the dump at Kerdiffstown, near Naas, Co Kildare, to advise on protection measures against respiratory illness.
An expert from British consultants SKM Enviros with experience in tackling fires below ground visited the site yesterday to assess the environmental emergency.
On Friday night public agencies, including the environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Health Service Executive (HSE) and Kildare County Council met with residents and local politicians to brief them on the difficulties posed by the underground fire, which has been burning since last week.
At least 30,000 people live in the shadow of the dump and the smell of burning has reached all parts of Naas and some surrounding areas.
The EPA has, from yesterday, provided 24-hour security on the site -- a measure that local residents have been seeking for more than a year.

Spontaneous combustion is the most likely cause of the main fire, including a build-up of flammable gases.

Air quality measurement in the area has been increased but, so far, tests have discovered no breach of permitted standards.
The HSE has advised householders in the path of the fire's smoke plume to close windows and doors as a precaution.

It also advises that people with existing respiratory or cardiac problems, young children and the elderly may experience problems. Anyone with symptoms should reduce their level of activity and consult their doctor, it says.
Smoke from the fire contains elevated levels of sulphur dioxide and some local residents have had to leave their homes. The council is also considering if a wider evacuation may be required should the fire get worse.
(pretty grim reading if you ask me )

gsxr1

the question is now.

Will this issue be put to bed after the fire in put out.

Will the dump be cleaned up!!

guil

there was talk of it being moved out to drehid landfill and callan was doing it for a while but i dunno what happened

DVD2009

this hazard has to have been flagged for a very long time , the kcc, the epa and dept of enviroment have a lot to answer for ..This dump has been operating for years without anybody checking on what they were doing.The kildare county council gave them a free reign as far as i can see, Also what have the ,including myself, local residents done over the past few years ....not a lot .Like the kkc and epa we let it go on without much protest.

Gregsor

I hope with all the press this is getting the poor locals will get this to an end.

I was in Naas Friday night and i have to say the family felt sick in the car driving around,bloody awful.

I think this situation sums up alot of what our unfortunate country has become,a stale mess :pac:

LeixlipRed

You can guarantee that if this fire was in some leafy suburb of Dublin it'd be sorted in no time.

finnegan2010

I heard Brian Cowen suggested we get all the unemployed to stitch all the Kitchen fire blankets in the greater dublin area together and lay it over the dump using air corp helicopters, thus smuthering it
ABSHULUTLY
Hes in the business of making them tough decisions and has a mandate to do so

gsxr1

LeixlipRed wrote: »

You can guarantee that if this fire was in some leafy suburb of Dublin it'd be sorted in no time.

made worse by the fact that its Dublin's rubbish in the dump

I heard from a friend there was trouble last night in the dump near Carbury.

Trucks taking rubbish from Kerdifftown dump where bringing it to Carbury after midnight. The residents came out in force and blocked the gates with there own trucks.

Why o Why did we not think of the a years ago

guil

dunno what happened last night but this morning i was passing drehid at 6:30 this morning, they didnt look too happy at me in a bin lorry
they blocked trucks getting in this morning and the guards were called

thecleverone

I just heard this morning that they are now trying to move the waste to Silliot Hill in Kilcullen. I for one won't be happy.

From "A Kilcullen Diary" Blog:

The Environmental Protection Agency is in talks this morning with residents and community groups in Kilcullen to see if they can bring waste from the burning landfill at Kerdiffstown to the Greenstar KTK waste disposal facility at Silliott Hill, Kilcullen, writes Brian Byrne.

Greenstar have confirmed to the Diary that they have been asked to accept some 2,000 tonnes of the waste temporarily, pending it being checked for 'anything sinister'.

EPA representatives began talking to residents in the landfill area last night, and this morning are talking to Kilcullen Community Action.

Geoff Bailey, MD of Greenstar's waste disposal division, confirmed this morning that the waste will only be accepted if the EPA can convince the local community that it is OK to do so.

"As far as we can see, the material is mostly wet soil and burned wood, and we don't think there is anything sinister there. If, however, there is dangerous material, that will be taken away and exported as hazardous waste."

Attempts to move the material to the Drehid waste disposal operated by Bord na Mona at Timahoe earlier this week were suspended after residents complained.

Local resident Helen Nolan said this morning that the community of Kilcullen needed to be made aware of the situation.

Source: http://kilcullenbridge.blogspot.com/

EvilMonkey

It has to be moved somewhere or the fire will keep burning. If the site wasn't prepared or maintained properly. The material needs to be moved to ensure it doesn't contaminate the water supply or produce dangerous gases. Assuming their is nothing dodgy hidden in the dump, moving the material to a properly maintained licensed landfill is the best solution.

guil

EvilMonkey wrote: »

It has to be moved somewhere or the fire will keep burning. If the site wasn't prepared or maintained properly. The material needs to be moved to ensure it doesn't contaminate the water supply or produce dangerous gases. Assuming their is nothing dodgy hidden in the dump, moving the material to a properly maintained licensed landfill is the best solution.

great post, i dont know what the hullabaloo was over drehid, its a good 4 or 5 km in from the main road and ya cant get a smell until ya get really close to actual landfill
i'd say theres over a million tonnes in there already so whats the problem

opinion guy

gsxr1 wrote: »

the question is now.

Will this issue be put to bed after the fire in put out.

Will the dump be cleaned up!!

Like they cleaned up the toxic waste site at Haulbowline in Cork. Oh wait.....no no they didn't do that and its still there waiting to cause problems

I have to say this **** makes me very angry


Edit: Its like the Springfield dump tyre fire in The Simpsons. Brian Cowan playing the role of Mayor Quimby!

lynski

EvilMonkey wrote: »

It has to be moved somewhere or the fire will keep burning. If the site wasn't prepared or maintained properly. The material needs to be moved to ensure it doesn't contaminate the water supply or produce dangerous gases. Assuming their is nothing dodgy hidden in the dump, moving the material to a properly maintained licensed landfill is the best solution.

There is the problem. who do YOU trust to tell you that there is nothing to worry about in it? it is construction and demolition waste, who knows what is in there? I do not want this within a few miles of where my children play,sleep, live.

lynski

gsxr1 wrote: »

made worse by the fact that its Dublin's rubbish in the dump

I heard from a friend there was trouble last night in the dump near Carbury.

Trucks taking rubbish from Kerdifftown dump where bringing it to Carbury after midnight. The residents came out in force and blocked the gates with there own trucks.

Why o Why did we not think of the a years ago

Can't find any mention of this online, is there any links for this? I can find mention of protests and meetings alright, but no truck blocking.

gsxr1

lynski wrote: »

Can't find any mention of this online, is there any links for this? I can find mention of protests and meetings alright, but no truck blocking.

I was told by a person who lives there. Guess they dont have internet out in the sticks

guil

lynski wrote: »

Can't find any mention of this online, is there any links for this? I can find mention of protests and meetings alright, but no truck blocking.

they definitely blocked trucks sunday night/monday morning and the guards were called

beertons

that article about blocking the trucks was in the indo at the start of the week, maybe tuesday.