Derry City Council is to work in “close collaboration” with the Northern Ireland Environmental Agency (NIEA) to compile a detailed report into the dumping of radioactive waste a the council’s landfill site at Culmore Point over 30 years ago.
Culmore Point.
Environment Minister Mark H Durkan and NIEA officials told members of the Council’s Environmental Services Committee at an emergency meeting on Friday there was no threat to public health or the environment.
SDLP Clllr Sean Carr, chairperson of the committee, said the report would provide “full clarification” on the issue and reassure the public in relation to any potential concerns.
He said: “Officials informed members that to date the information provided suggests that no material was sent to Culmore post 1984 and that any material that was deposited originated from Altnagelvin Hospital where it was held for a period to allow radioactivity to decay before it was deposited under supervision and approved authorisation at Culmore.
“The Department assured members that it is confident that the material deposited in 1982/83 had essentially degraded even before it was placed in landfill and that no contamination can remain on the site.”
Cllr Carr added the NIEA was currently compiling a detailed report for the Department of the Environment which would be completed in “close collaboration” with Derry City Council for presentation to Environmental Services members at the next available meeting.
He concluded: “I hope the full report will provide full clarification on the issue and reassure the public in relation to any potential concerns they may have.”
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