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One of the biggest landfill sites in Ireland
is due to close in the next 12 months, with management planning
to grow grass and plant trees on the 236-acre ‘red mud’
pond at the Aughinish Alumina plant.
Farmers in the west Limerick area have
long expressed fears about the future of the bauxite
residue disposal area (BRDA) facility, claiming it could end
up as one of the "biggest toxic dumps in Europe".
According to the EPA, management at the site - the biggest
alumina refinery in Europe - have been "preparing for years"
for its closure as the pond holds over 23 million tonnes of
bauxite residue.
A second
195-acre pond went into use in recent months, despite strong
opposition from farmers and local residents at planning permission
stage.
Caoimhin Nolan, an inspector in the EPA’s Office of Corporate
Enforcement, said - "The company will have to reach agreement
with us on what to do with the site when the BRDA facility
closes. They will have to remediate the site, but they have
been doing trial work on this ever since they got a licence."
It is understood the
company plans to complete a "greening programme" and has already
planted vegetation on the side slopes of the landfill, up
to 30 metres above sea level.
According to the EPA, the company has "achieved some success",
but planting on the bauxite residue is, reportedly, akin to
planting trees in concrete.
Scientists at the University of Limerick
have been working on the end-of-life project.
"This material is very nutrient poor and so we will need
to import organic materials - such as treated sewage sludge
and organic fertilisers - to make it more fertile. Conifer
trees have been put on some of the slopes," said Mr Nolan.
Parts of the alumina site are set to form a nature reserve
and so the EPA wouldn’t rule out the possibility of the waste
pond being open to the public in the future. Former red mud
ponds have also been used to graze animals. "It
is very important the closure is done properly and is site-specific.
We know in general terms what it will entail but we must ensure
the physical surface is properly prepared, that proper drainage
is ensured and it will be maintained with no erosion," Mr
Nolan said. The company, which is controlled by
Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, purchased Aughinish Alumina
from Swiss trading firm Glencore in 2007.
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