Mobuoy Road Waste Site
The Mobuoy Road waste site consists of two distinct parcels of land, namely the City Industrial Waste (CIW) Site and the Campsie Sand and Gravel (CSG) site. These sites are collectively known as the Mobuoy Road waste site and are located approximately 1.5km east of Derry / Londonderry. The Mobuoy Road waste site occupies an area of circa 46 hectares.
Previous waste management activities on City Industrial Waste include an old landfill regulated by the local council. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) issued a Closure Notice for the landfill in 2007. A former materials recycling facility (MRF) also operated for on this site between 2004 and 2013; its Waste Management Licence was revoked by NIEA in June 2013 and the site subsequently closed. The Campsie Sand and Gravel site was subject to extensive sand and gravel extraction over the years.
The River Faughan forms the western boundary of the Mobuoy Road waste site. This stretch of the river is designated as an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) that supports an Atlantic Salmon population of international importance.
Illegal waste disposal at the Mobuoy Road Waste Site
Both the City Industrial Waste site and Campsie Sand and Gravel site have been subject to illegal waste disposal activities. In response the Department of the Environment (DOE), now the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), instigated a review of waste disposal activities at the Mobuoy Road site. This review, known as the Mills Review is entitled: A Review of Waste Disposal at the Mobuoy site and the lessons learnt for the future regulation of the waste industry in Northern Ireland: A review of waste disposal at the Mobuoy site and the lessons learnt for the future regulation of the waste industry in Northern Ireland | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (daera-ni.gov.uk).
Investigations by the Department of the Environment in 2015 have improved our understanding of the nature and extent of waste illegally disposed at the site. At the stakeholder meeting on the 25 November 2015, the estimated volume of controlled waste illegally disposed at the Mobuoy waste site was reported to be a minimum of 913,105 m3. An additional estimate of 252,050 m3 of controlled waste is present in the area of the former licensed landfill some of which has been deposited illegally. The nature of the illegal deposits includes municipal waste, construction and demolition (C&D) waste and municipal waste mixed with C&D waste.
Mobuoy Stakeholder Group
The Mobuoy Stakeholder Group was established by NIEA in 2015 in response to community concerns arising from the significant illegal waste disposal at the site and its potential impacts on the River Faughan, health and the surrounding environment.
Regular stakeholder meetings are held by NIEA to update the local community and interested parties on the Mobuoy Remediation Project; these are advertised in the local press and by email to members of the Stakeholder Group.
A link to the presentations given at each of the Stakeholder meetings available below.
Consultation with the Industry
The NIEA is now seeking to carry out early engagement with a wide range of industry stakeholders, including but not limited to those involved in the delivery of groundworks, soil and water remediation, waste and landfill gas management. The purpose of this engagement is to allow the industry to put forward information to NIEA and its appointed Integrated Consultant Team (ICT) on emerging remedial methods, technologies or techniques that could be employed as part of the remediation of the Mobuoy Site. The objective of this engagement is to assist NIEA with the development of the Optimum Remediation Strategy for the site. For more information view Industry Consultation Pack.
DAERA's Remediation Project approach
DAERA’s Remediation Project approach is in line with UK best practice as detailed in the Model Procedures for the Management of Land Contamination published by the Environment Agency (2004). These procedures provide a structured framework for making decisions in the assessment and management of contaminated sites such as the Mobuoy waste site. They can be viewed at: Land contamination risk management (LCRM) | gov.uk
LCRM: stage 1 risk assessment – Detailed Quantitative Risk Assessment
LCRM: stage 2 options appraisal – Remediation Options Appraisal Report
Mobuoy Road Waste Remediation Small Business Research Initiative Competition
In June 2016, the then Environment Minister, Michelle McIlveen launched a new £350,000 Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition in partnership with Innovate UK (IUK) to encourage and stimulate the development of innovative remediation technologies for the Mobuoy Road waste site and other illegal waste sites. Funding for this SBRI competition came from the Northern Ireland Executive’s Pilot SBRI Challenge Fund which is jointly managed by the Department for the Economy and the Department of Finance. The final reports from the successful applicants can be found at the links below; these have been redacted to protect the confidentiality of their commercial and industrial information under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, exception 12(5)(e).
Successful Applicant Reports
NI Assembly written questions relevant to the Mobuoy Remediation Project
NI Assembly written questions received by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) (previously the Department of the Environment (DoE)) relevant to the Mobuoy Remediation Project are presented with hyperlinks to the Minister’s response on the Assembly Information Management System (AIMS). These will continue to be updated on a regular basis.
Ecology Reports
The protection of wildlife and ecology on the Mobuoy site is an important aspect of the Mobuoy Remediation Project, particularly given the environmental designation of the River Faughan as an Area of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation).
Since the appointment of the Integrated Consultancy Team (ICT) in June 2021, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, along with ICT ecology specialists, have been building a knowledge base of wildlife and ecology that has become established on the Mobuoy site by carrying out ecological surveys.
Water Quality Environmental Monitoring Programme
A comprehensive environmental monitoring programme is in place at the Mobuoy site.
Prior to remediation, the environmental impacts of the waste deposits are closely monitored to assess any impact to the water environment through a comprehensive Environmental Monitoring Programme (EMP).
You can find out more about the water environmental monitoring programme here.