‘No evidence’ that Tipperary landfill is impacting water quality
Councillors call for an expanded and independent programme of groundwater and domestic well monitoring
A proposal to halt ongoing remediation works at the Ballaghveny landfill outside Nenagh and commission an independent environmental review sparked extensive debate at the June meeting of Tipperary County Council held in the civic offices in Clonmel.
A number of North Tipperary councillors brought forward two notices of motion in relation to the facility, asking the council to reporarily suspend further works on the engineered weather cap of two cells at the Ballaghveny Landfill facility “for a defined period, to commission an independent and comprehensive peer review of all remediation options and subject to EPA review.”
The second motion asked the council to commission an expanded and independent programme of groundwater and domestic well monitoring in the vicinity of the Ballaghveny landfill facility. Members of the Ballymackey Environmental Group attended the meeting as observers.
Their concerns focus on the condition of two landfill cells at Ballaghveny, which were filled between 1985 and 1993. They believe these cells are in direct contact with groundwater, allowing water to pass through deposited waste and generate leachate.
The group has raised concerns that this process may be mobilising contaminants from historic waste, including substances such as benzene, perchloroethylene, chloride and ammonia, with the potential for these to migrate beyond the site boundary into surrounding groundwater and nearby watercourses.
A recent incident report on the EPA website, dated May 1 2026, reported that “groundwater sampling found that twelve locations, three of which are influenced by the bog, exceeded trigger levels for one or more parameters”.
The impact was considered to be “groundwater contamination in the immediate vicinity of the landfill”.
However, in the recent council meeting Director of Services Eamon Lonergan cautioned against any suspension of works, warning that halting the project could have significant legal and financial consequences. Speaking for the council, he said the remediation programme is already underway under a signed contract and funded through a €2.2 million allocation from the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, and that any delay could jeopardise that funding.
The council had responded that “a formal tender has been signed with a contractor to deliver remediation works. Any suspension of the works would constitute a breach of contract, potentially exposing the Council to significant financial liabilities.”
The council also said that a comprehensive monitoring programme is already in place, including both groundwater and well monitoring, in accordance with the EPA Industrial Emissions Licence.
“Tipperary County Council continues to carry out annual biological monitoring of the Ollatrim River. Results to date indicate no evidence of any impact from the landfill on the water quality of ether the Ollatrim River or on Ballaghveny Stream.”
However, the council concluded that: “in the interest of further demonstrating health and environmental compliance, Tipperary County Council is willing to formally engage with the EPA, who are independent of local authorities, to determine their opinion and recommended approach to independent sampling and testing of private wells.”