The stench from 70,000 gallons of effluent pouring each day into the bay at the picturesque south Galway village of Kinvara is emptying restaurants and pubs near the harbour during the summer, local campaigners claim.
The Kinvara Community Council (KCC), which has been battling to get a sewage treatment plant for the village for the past eight years, has started a petition to stop the pollution of Kinvara Bay.
A spokesperson for KCC explained that human waste and excrement were being discharged into the bay 70m (230ft) from Kinvara pier and faecal slicks could be seen in the harbour and along the shoreline.
The group said it was angry that Galway County Council had given it a lot of promises about the provision of a sewage treatment plant for the area, but has seen no action.
The spokesperson pointed out that there could be no building in Kinvara until the sewerage facility - which would cost under €3 million - was up and running.
The main objective of the Kinvara Integrated Area Plan, drawn up by the local community, is the refurbishment and development of the village centre.
Secretary of the KCC Richard Broad said the bay was not just an amenity but involved livelihoods.
"We rely for our living on tourism, shell-fishing and the increase in business created by the development of the town. All three depend on the charm of the bay and the quality of its waters."
In June 2002, the KCC lodged a complaint with the European Commission alleging that the Government was in breach of a number of EU directives, including the Shellfish Directive.
The European Court ruled that the Government was in breach of these directives but, three years on, the situation has not changed and the Government faces fines for non-compliance.
Galway County Council commissioned the design of a treatment plant for Kinvara and, following the EU ruling, announced that a facility would be built as part of its sewerage and water programme for 2005 and 2006.
However, the KCC said the Department of the Environment had taken 2½ years to consider the council's preliminary plans for the Kinvara scheme, so that the earliest possible starting date was now 2007.
"Unless there is real political commitment and a concerted initiative now, there will be no sewerage plant operating in Kinvara well into the next decade," said Mr Broad.
