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An Status Yellow wind warning will remain in place, here in Co. Tipperary, until at least 5.00pm this evening at the earliest, as strong winds from Storm Ali, leave more than 20,000 homes and businesses without power nationwide. A Status Orange wind warning also remains in effect until 1.00pm for more than half the country due to this storm.
The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) claim that over 20,000 customers currently remain without power, with the areas worst affected being Thurles, Tralee, Killarney, Galway, Sligo and Cork.
Nationally airline passengers are being advised to check with their particular operator, before travelling to their place of departure.
Weather experts warn of further heavy rain, flying debris, fallen trees, power cuts, flooding and travel disruption which continues to remain a danger in the worst-hit areas of the north west of the country.
The opening of the second day of the 87th annual National Ploughing Championships, at Screggan, Co. Offaly, Europe’s biggest outdoor event and the highlight of the Irish agricultural calendar, has been put back by two hours today, as a safety precaution. ‘Wellies’ are expected to be a necessity for visitors, with over 8mm of rain recorded as having fallen in the bordering host county of Offaly, overnight.
O’Dwyer Transport, Littleton, Thurles, Co. Tipperary Make History.
Situated in the picturesque village of Littleton near Thurles, in Co. Tipperary; the family run firm of O’Dwyer Transport & Warehousing Ltd, in the past week has made history, when it facilitated and accommodated the use (for the first time in either the United Kingdom or Ireland) of a towed Voser Wind Turbine Blade-lifting machine.
The Voser Wind Turbine Blade-lifting machine is presently being used to transport massive 45-meter-long Turbine Blades (the longer the blades is, the more the energy that can be generated by the turbine) from Littleton village to the Ballincurry Wind Farm near Killenaule, in Co. Tipperary. This trailer-towed lifting machine is the first of its kind ever to be used here in Ireland and is completely remote controlled, allowing the blade on the trailer to be lifted over trees; hedges; houses and lowered to get under low hanging telephone and electric cables.
Six Gardaí, two in squad cars and four on motorcycles, accompany each load thus guaranteeing complete safety to all road users, while also, for the most part, reducing unnecessary inconvenience to other road users during the 2.5hour period of transportation.
O’Dwyer Transport, who boast a work force of some forty personnel, operating a modern fleet of some 28 DAF Trucks, latter fitted with Moffett mounted forklifts and who are presently storing the German manufactured Wind Turbine Blades; include amongst their valued regular customers Bord Na Mona; Coca-Cola; Hauser etc. and were also actively involved with Electric Picnic and the recent papal visit by Pope Francis.
O’Dwyer Transport & Warehousing Ltd are also short listed (down to the last 5) for the coveted award of “National Haulier of the Year”.
We learned a few lesser known facts about Wind Turbines from Mr Thomas Cooke, (Managing Director) Ballincurry Wind Farm Ltd.
Example: (A) These Wind Turbine blades are not made of metal as they would appear, but are made of fibre-reinforced epoxy or unsaturated polyester.
(B) The blades cannot be carried easily by helicopter, although such rotorcraft are readily available to lift same. The downdraught from the helicopter blades unto the wind turbine blade could cause aerodynamic issues, which in turn could prove to be a danger to both the rotorcraft itself and / or cause serious damage to the actual costly turbine blade.
(C) Wind turbines never have more than 3 blades, since when one blade is in the horizontal position, its resistance to the yaw force is counter-balanced by the two other blades. So, a three-bladed turbine represents the best combination of high rotational speed and minimum stress.
Tipperary County Council proposes to construct a new social housing development on a 0.43 hectare (1.062553 Acre) site at Pound Street, Templetouhy, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
The development will include the demolition of an existing dilapidated single storey dwelling, together with existing sheds, and to construct ten new dwelling houses. Same will comprise of four x 2-bedroomed x two storey dwellings and six x 3-bedroom x two storey dwellings, together with all associated site works including roads, footpaths, underground services, drainage systems, car parking, boundary treatments, landscaping and open spaces, connection to existing sewers and water-mains.
The development has been the subject of an Appropriate Assessment screening in accordance with Article 6(3) of the EU Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC) and the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended and which concluded that this proposed development would not be likely to give rise to any significant or indeterminate impact.
The full particulars of this proposed developments, together with the Appropriate Assessment Screening report, will be made available for inspection or purchase, at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, from: –
Tipperary County Council, Civic Offices, Emmet Street, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
Tipperary County Council, Civic Offices, Limerick Road, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary.
between the hours 9:30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m., Monday to Friday until Friday 31st August 2018 and on all days the Offices of Tipperary County Council remain open to the public until that date.
Submissions or observations with respect to this proposed development, dealing with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area in which the development will be situated, may be made in writing to Ms Sinead Carr, Director of Services, Housing, Tipperary County Council, Civic Offices, Emmet Street, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary to be received no later than 4.30 pm on Monday 17th September 2018.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its Industrial and Waste Licence Enforcement Report for the year 2017. This report gives details of compliance levels and enforcement activities across the 800 licensed facilities during 2017.
The Food and Drink sector had the poorest compliance, including the most number of non-compliances and the highest number of prosecutions.
 Key findings for 2017 were:-
Over 1500 site inspections were completed.
Unannounced were 91% of inspections.
Six sites were inspected 20 or more times.
In 2017, 22 prosecutions were concluded.
One Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) case concluded.
Over €374,000 in fines and costs were awarded.
Over 1000 complaints were received about licensed facilities.
Odour complaints decreased by 42% – Noise complaints increased by 68%
Commenting on the report Mr Gerard O’Leary, EPA Director of the Office of Environmental Enforcement stated: “The EPA targets its enforcement efforts at the most non-compliant facilities. The publication of the National Priority Sites system last year has driven environmental compliance and seen much needed investment in environmental infrastructure. Over half of the sites who have appeared on the Priority Sites list have been convicted or are facing prosecution.”
Three Tipperary companies were amongst those prosecuted by the EPA in recent years.
Rosderra Irish Meats of Carrig, Roscrea were fined for failing to ensure emissions to sewer did not exceed permitted limits. (Fines & Charges amounted to €18,500)
Arrabawn Co-Operative Society, Nenagh, September 2017. (Fined €16,000)
Bord na Mona Fuels, Littleton, Thurles, in 2016. (Fines & Charges in 2017 nearly €12,000).
The EPA has also published the latest National Priority Sites List for Enforcement today. Five sites (See below 1) are on the latest list for failing to meet the necessary environmental standards. These companies face further enforcement action.
Four of the five sites are from the agri-food sector; this sector has accounted for almost half of all priority sites since publication last year.
Of the 19 sites published on the list since it commenced, 13 have either been convicted or now face prosecution.
Four sites have come off the previous National Priority Site List following improvements in compliance.
Ms Mary Gurrie, Programme Manager, EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement commented:
“The National Priority Sites system has exceeded our expectations as a tool to drive environmental compliance. Companies have come off the list in the past year by improving operational practices or making significant investment in infrastructure. Sites in the agrifood sector have dominated the list (11 of 19 sites) and compliance in this sector needs to improve.”
1 The following are the National Priority Sites for January – June 2018.
[ The EPA will update the National Priority Sites list, on a quarterly basis.]
Reg. No. P0812-01 – Arrow Group – Co. Kildare.
Reg. No. P0815-02 – Lacpatrick Dairies Limited – Co. Monaghan.
Reg. No. P0180-02 – Rosderra Irish Meats Group (Edenderry) – Co. Offaly.
Reg. No. W0136-03 – Starrus Eco Holdings Limited (Munster) – Co. Cork.
Reg. No. P0831-01 – Western Brand Group Limited – Co. Mayo.
Licensed facilities are identified as National Priority Sites for enforcement, using a system developed by the EPA. Points are allocated to each site based on compliance data such as complaints, incidents and non-compliances over the previous six months. Sites which exceed a certain threshold become a National Priority Site and are targeted by the EPA for further enforcement action.
The National Priority Sites for Enforcement system was launched by the EPA in July 2017 to drive further environmental compliance at industrial and waste facilities.
Further details of the National Priority Sites scoring system and the list of sites can be found here National Priority Sites :: Environmental Protection Agency, Ireland.
Enforcement information on all sites can be found under the Licence Search pages at www.epa.ie.
Complaints about licensed sites can be made on-line or by contacting the EPA at Tel: 053-9160600.
It is not by accident that Thurles.Info have been raising environmental issues and concerns regarding important and desirable biodiversity; while highlighting the failure by this present minority Fine Gael government, supported by Fianna Fáil, to protect the quality food producers and the employment they support, here in Co. Tipperary.
The Ollatrim River rises in North Co. Tipperary and flows through the Townland of Ollatrim, joining the Ballinaboy River and Nenagh River east of the town of Nenagh.
Together all flow into Lough Derg, just north of the picturesque village of Dromineer. Indeed a short section of this river indicates the perimeter between Co. Tipperary and our near neighbours, Co. Offaly.
It took eight days for Officers from Inland Fisheries Ireland to notify the public that an investigation has now begun after some 15,000 fish were killed, over a 5km stretch, in the above named Ollatrim River. Officers had attended the scene at Ballinahemery Bridge, close to Ballymackey, Nenagh on Monday 9th July last, having been alerted to a major fish kill.
Inland Fisheries Officers estimate that some 10,500 Lamprey (Latter a protected species), 1,400 Brown Trout, 805 Stoneloach, 1,820 Minnow, 70 Salmon, 70 Crayfish and 84 Stickleback were numbered in this extermination.
Inland Fisheries confirm that this is the largest kill of Lamprey in recent years and now believe it may take some years for stock numbers to at least partially recover.
Herbicide or pesticide or some other Agricultural chemical is understood to have caused this major fish kill. This latest incident will be investigated but no findings will be made public.
Fourth Major Fish Kill In North Tipperary In Less Than Eight Weeks
Not including the current Crayfish Plague, this latest major fish kill in North Tipperary rivers comes to four since late May last. During that month, over 100 trout and juvenile salmon stocks died, when a greyish coloured foul smelling substance entered the Mill River in Ballina. In early June we learned of yet another fish kill on the Ballintotty River, which left the entire trout and salmon population wiped out along a stretch of the river. Then another incident, which occurred at Ballycrinode, Ballinalough, when supposedly slurry accidentally spilled into the river.
Nothing accidentally spills into our Rivers. Accidents do not happen they are caused and offenders must at least be seen to be prosecuted.
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