Irish Steel Mill

[Orion]

So why is it going to be capped, sealed and breakthroughs restricted?

Does the restriction on breakthroughs include trees?

[na grohmiti]

Let's not get mixed up between the East tip where toxic waste was dumped and the former factory site.
The East tip has been covered. Trees will be planted during the regeneration. In time the roots will pierce the lining but this will have no effect on what is below. This is standard practice for all landfill, much of which contains waste just as dangerous to human health as the East tip.
We have I thought covered this in great detail. The experts have said that the waste only posed a risk it was airborne. The clean up process removes nothing instead covering it with membrane then covering with landscaped topsoil. In time nature takes the ground back.
There will be no trees planted in concrete on the site of the old factory.

[TangoSierra]

Is there not a plan for car park, a public park and footbridge to connect to spike island, which in my opinion is needed if spike island is to grow as a tourist attraction (I was in cobh during the summer and was thinking about going over but missed the sailings over to it). As for security, the historic dockyard at Portsmouth can coexist next to HMNB Portsmouth.

"All this has happened before, and all of this will happen again"

https://dnote.website/wordpres2/wp-c...8/03/spike.jpg

http://www.chrisgrant.eu/genealogy/r...ry/joseph.html

[DeV]

The East Tip seems to be priority

[na grohmiti]

Possibly because it is so far behind schedule and the risks from doing nothing are well documented.

[ancientmariner]

The East Tip seems to be priority

Within State Ministries we have various oversight/ research groups in all matters environmental, radiological etc. and we are also members of the IAEA. They have held conferences and teased out remediation measures. All our boffins were/are well paid but appear to be unaware of the dangers lurking.
Covering sites has long term obstacles such as erosion, weather events, gas formation, water pooling etc.
We suffered a typical fall out with text book results because

-Operations terminated abruptly
-Improper or no management of waste residues
-No funding existed for post milling activities.
-No Stakeholder oversight or involvement, often because company operations are secret.

The Navy needs 800 meters of quay wall and Basin West side is critical. The Drydock is not suitable for berthing , rather a repair station , with mobile craneage and if possible covered in , such as at UK Naval Docks , to provide all weather opportunities for painting etc.

[na grohmiti]

The general consensus is that when Lakshmi Mittal bought the steel plant from the state in 1996 he did so to Strip it of its assets. He did so with great success, and pulled the plug in 2001. The Debts the company had when he bought it, remained when he sold it. He was, as they say, sold a pup. The State gave Irish Ispat grants for urgent environmental protection work, instead this was re-invested to non capital expenditure. The final years under state ownership saw dumping of sludge dramatically increase on the east tip. It was easy to blame Mittal for the mess left behind, but the real damage was done when the plant was a semi-state operation. The State gave him an undertaking that the plant was fully compliant with environmental regulations. The gulls in the harbour knew this was fiction.The H&S record alone for the plant was notorius. But the government wanted to keep the plant open at any cost, and was willing to fine ISPAT £10000 for every staff number below 300 that the plant reached in its 5 years after sale. An impossible task when one considers:

• Steel quality produced on site was known to be poor
• All heavy plant on site dated from 1975
• Worldwide steel production was experiencing a slump
• The plant was the smallest possible footprint capable of accomodating a steel rolling mill

[ibenji]

The level of toxins on in the factory site is negligible. Most of what was dangerous there was dust. That went with the buildings. The real problem is the numerous steel protrusions that exist throughout the site. Some are about waist height, most are just trip hazards. These are surrounded by many pools which over time have become accidental drains for everything that flowed downwards. Clearance of these was beyond the brief of those charged with demolition. Ground clearing is the job of whoever decides to build on it.
Cork coco has on its website the plans for the East tip. Already a segregated road access has been built and the eastern fence around the basin has been greatly improved. Indeed it is now more compliant with ISPS guidelines than it ever was.

The land was toxic when we tested the steel plant site in 2015. 🙈

[na grohmiti]

The land was toxic when we tested the steel plant site in 2015. 🙈

"We"?
What land? Define toxic? As toxic as any other factory involved in working with hot metals I'll wager.

[ibenji]

"We"?
What land? Define toxic? As toxic as any other factory involved in working with hot metals I'll wager.

“We” was the site resident engineering team who engaged consultants to take and test samples from the previous drilled 20 odd boreholes throughout the factory site. The same “we” who structurally repaired both approach bridges to ensure that the didn’t collapse. We also carried out geotechnical investigations around the east tip and various enabling works.
Diesel and other contaminants were identified within most of the boreholes on site. Toxic = harmful to health. Something not to put on your cornflakes

[na grohmiti]

So the same as any other industrial site.

[TangoSierra]

So the same as any other industrial site.

Or farm yard

[na grohmiti]

Latest view of works. Almost complete, just access to sort out now, with a view of making the basin completely sterile from civvy traffic visiting the east tip public park.

[morpheus]

All that potential - lost

[DeV]

All that potential - lost

It’s a toxic waste dump

[Laners]

Our own little Chernobyl .

[ancientmariner]

Our own little Chernobyl .

Not so little , looks like 5/6 times the size of the Naval Basin.

[ibenji]

Not so little , looks like 5/6 times the size of the Naval Basin.

The island is actually one third bigger than its original size. Some amount of hazardous waste. I am currently dealing with a pollution incident else where where the owner has to remove 1000 tons of contaminated soil and the bill for same is €250k. God knows how much it would have cost if we actually had to remove the waste material. I don’t think that we will be as lucky with the steel plant site though

[na grohmiti]

Our own little Chernobyl .

Have you seen chernobyl lately? New Safe containment is amazing, and in the absence of human interference wildlife flora and fauna are thriving.

[Flamingo]

Have you seen chernobyl lately? New Safe containment is amazing, and in the absence of human interference wildlife flora and fauna are thriving.

So I've heard ...

[na grohmiti]

Since this footage was taken it looks even better.

[na grohmiti]

As it is today and as it was photos from @Eddie Lawlor great commitment from ⁦@simoncoveney⁩ ⁦@creedcnw⁩ ⁦@Corkcoco⁩ ⁦@naval_service⁩ ⁦@PJHegartySons⁩ pic.twitter.com/iFTbBxqKtZ

— jim langford63 (@JimLangford63) November 24, 2018

Such a change. For the better.

[ancientmariner]

[
Such a change. For the better.[/QUOTE]

Yes! They have also announced that the layered and soil topped area, meters from the Naval Basin , Ordnance workshops , and Dockyard machine shops and stores , will become an amenity Park as announced by Cork County Council spokesman on Parks Mr. Lucy on today's News. No Doubt CCC will provide all the security and supervision required of the visitors while on the island and dissuade them from visiting the ships or taking photographs of a Naval Installation. Perhaps we should now have an amenity Park alongside the Runway at Baldonnell and a Ferris Wheel and Bouncy Castle on Leinster House Lawns etc.

[Orion]

[Perhaps we should now have an amenity Park alongside the Runway at Baldonnell and a Ferris Wheel and Bouncy Castle on Leinster House Lawns etc.

What about a Butlins next to Gormanston Camp ......

[CTU]

Yes! They have also announced that the layered and soil topped area, meters from the Naval Basin , Ordnance workshops , and Dockyard machine shops and stores , will become an amenity Park as announced by Cork County Council spokesman on Parks Mr. Lucy on today's News. No Doubt CCC will provide all the security and supervision required of the visitors while on the island and dissuade them from visiting the ships or taking photographs of a Naval Installation. Perhaps we should now have an amenity Park alongside the Runway at Baldonnell and a Ferris Wheel and Bouncy Castle on Leinster House Lawns etc.

Fleet Air Arm Museum is next to RNAS Yeovilton and has a viewing area
https://www.fleetairarm.com/exhibiti...area/2-28.aspx

Historic Dockyard Portsmouth has Harbour Tours
https://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/s.../harbour-tours

Oh and by the way you can visit Leinster House, Government Buildings and Áras an Uachtaráin
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/visit-a...he-oireachtas/
https://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Wor...he_Department/
https://president.ie/en/explore-visit/tours-visits