A Kilkenny Fianna Fáil TD has made an official complaint against his own local authority to EU Environment Commissioner Margaret Walstrom over pollution of the river Nore.
John McGuinness has called for a full investigation into discharges into the river from the Purcellsinch sewage treatment plant at Sion Road, Kilkenny.
Kilkenny County Council has admitted there is a problem, but blames customers overloading the system.
The most recent incidents at the treatment centre are also being investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Its special corporate enforcement unit visited the plant, and took a number of samples recently.
Sludge from the centre entered the Nore on an ongoing basis between February 22nd and March 3rd, it has been confirmed by the council.
It forced one family out of their home, and resulted in a number of complaints about the smell.
Staff at the plant cannot cope with the volume of waste being pumped into it.
A pattern has emerged, according to local authority officials, where a customer, or customers, of the facility are putting "shock loads" through the system, leading to overloading. This in turns leads to the pollution of the river.
The council's director of environmental services, Tom Gunning, has told Mr McGuinness that it is impossible to satisfactorily treat loads in excess of the capability of the plant, especially when delivered in high volumes with very high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) loadings in a short period.
Mr McGuinness added that the biochemical oxygen demand is critical in allowing fish in the river to breathe.
"This is not something that started yesterday; it has been ongoing for a number of years while our river continues to be polluted," said Mr McGuinness.
He has asked the council to "get the finger out" and push ahead with plans to upgrade the plant.
"They have the money, but have yet to spend it," he said.
"We also need a short-term solution. It is not good enough to say that we are aware of it and that a week later it is back to normal."
He confirmed that he had written to Ms Walstrom about the Nore pollution.
He complained to her that he has not yet received a final report from the EPA's office of environmental enforcement at Johnstown Castle, Wexford, regarding pollution emanating from the treatment plant in April 2004.
"I have also asked for a full investigation into the ongoing discharges from the plant," Mr McGuinness said.
The council has confirmed that it received €6.2 million under the Government's Water Services Investment Programme 2004- 2006.
Because of the complexity of the work, remedial and extension projects at the plant were unlikely to commence before August 2007.