Could potentially toxic waste from the former Raggatt tip be dealt with at the regional sewage works planned for Peel?

The issue was a raised by the environment and infrastructure policy and review committee investigating the regional sewage treatment strategy.

Leachate, containing a range of contaminants, is regularly taken by tanker from the former Raggatt tip and disposed of into the sewer at Mill Road, Peel, from where it is discharged into the bay through the breakwater outfall.

MU executive director Adrian Dobbins told the committee that treating the leachate at the works planned for Glenfaba House is an option being considered to see if it’s viable.

’But we need to go through some feasibility work first and some tests before that commitment is made,’ he said. ’The two key things to address are is it treatable in that plant and, if so, what impact would it have on the sewage treatment processes themselves.

’One of the processes we could do if ammonia is the most aggressive component of that leachate is to neutralise it prior to feeding it forward into the plant. But we need to understand the concentration of the leachate.’

Committee chairman Rob Callister suggested there was no guarantee a new regional treatment plant in Peel would take responsibility for the leachate as well.

MUA chairman Dr Alex Allinson said: ’It’s an option. It has to be treated extremely carefully. Working with other departments, and bringing plans to Tynwald eventually, openly and transparently saying what we will do with leachate, is the right way forward.

’I’m afraid we can’t commit to that at the moment as we are at a very early stage of project modelling and analysing exactly what’s in the leachate and how that would affect a sewage treatment plant.

’It’s something that not just we are wrestling with.

’The entire world is wrestling with how you deal with what can be quite toxic industrial waste.’