Ballygar group raises concerns over outdated sewerage system

"There hasn't been a house built in this town in years"

A RECENTLY formed community group in Ballygar has said that the town will remain at a standstill unless planned upgrades to its sewerage system that have been mooted for more than 20 years are carried out.

The Ballygar Regeneration Group was set up earlier this year. Made up of four members, addressing the sewerage problems in the town is one of their goals.

The group have a letter dating back to October of 2005 from then Galway Senator Michael Kitt regarding water and sewerage schemes in Ballygar. The Minister for the Environment had informed Senator Kitt that Ballygar was eighth on a list of schemes due for a new or upgraded water system submitted by Galway County Council and 16th on a list of sewerage schemes.

“That letter was sent to Ballygar Community Development Group at the time and it’s still going on,” said Geraldine Kelly, a member of the Ballygar Regeneration Group alongside Tom Nestor, Maria Kelly and Mal Hevehan.

Planned upgrades to the wastewater plants in Ballygar and Mountbellew are due to begin later this year and are expected to come close to €40million. A spokesperson for Uisce Éireann has told this newspaper that the upgrades and increase to the load capacity on the Ballygar wastewater treatment plant is currently at the tender award stage, with contracts set to be signed in quarter three of this year and on-site works to start towards the end of the year.

“We were told the first quarter, then the second, the third and the fourth. We feel like the can is being kicked down the road,” said Tom Nestor, Chair of the Ballygar Regeneration Group.

Tom Nestor said that no housing developments can get planning approval in Ballygar due to the current wastewater and sewerage situation.

“The biggest problem is we’re the tail of the dog with the County Council, we’re so near to Roscommon,” offered Tom.

“There hasn't been a house built in this town in years. There was planning in for 18 houses to be built on a 14-acre site right in the heart of the town but that has gone derelict now. The town is stagnant unless we can build a house in it.

“There has been planning granted for two housing estates in Mountbellew on the condition that the sewerage and wastewater treatment plant is upgraded there. Our fear is that they’ll do the upgrades in Mountbellew and not us.

“The sewerage system in the town was built in 1947. There are houses on septic tanks in this town looking down at the sewerage plant and it’s 300 or 400metres away from the house. Sure, it’s madness.”

Ballygar town has a population of 660 according to the 2022 Census. The pressure of the water system is “shocking” according to Tom and there are issues with capacity.

“We buy water all the time in our house. The colour of it, you’d just be afraid of what is in it. It might be okay, but we don’t drink it,” offered Geraldine Kelly.

The members of the Ballygar Regeneration Group have said that local political representatives are doing as much as they can to highlight the wastewater and sewerage issues in the town.

“The health considerations were mentioned in 2005 and we’re still sitting here with nothing done and quality of the water is poor. We think the town has been neglected by the relevant authorities for too long. The Tidy Towns group do a fantastic job in the town,” said Maria Kelly.

The TII carried out work at the N63 crossroad junction in Ballygar town a couple of years ago, a busy junction used by many trucks on a daily basis on their way to and from the Murray Timber plant on the outskirts of Ballygar.

“Trucks have to go up on the footpath at the junction if they want to want to turn right to go out the Killeroran Road from the town, out Ballyforan direction. A few black bollards have been knocked down at the junction now,” said Tom Nestor.

“There are 70 trucks coming into Ballygar from all sides a day, at a minimum. If two trucks meet on the Killeroran Road, one of them has to go up on the kerb to pass because of the width of the road.

“Between 20 to 25 of those trucks go up the Pound Road instead of going through the crossroads. It’s a narrow road back into town. Some trucks go straight through the crossroads out by the old GAA pitch up to Murray Timber.”

Since the Ballygar Regeneration Group started meeting in January, they have been involved in helping to get planning approval for a Credit Union ATM in the town.

The group has facilitated the setting up of the Ballygar and District Women’s Shed (which is made up of more than 100 members), a drama club, and a meeting to start the process of Ballygar being recognised as an AsIAm Autism Friendly Town.

“We’ve a meeting arranged with the IDA. There are a lot of businesses that want to open here but they’ve nowhere to go,” said Tom Nestor.

Setting up gardening allotments for local people and reinstating Ballygar’s status as a market town are other items on the agenda for the group.

“The square is known as Market Square and you can’t do any business in it,” said Geraldine Kelly.

“There are loads of people with no garden. It’s to try and get a suitable community spot at the moment. There is huge interest in it. We hope to get it approved and have a community allotment field up and running by this time next year.”