Bank of Ireland has alerted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of a diesel spill at its data centre in Cabinteely, Co Dublin, which affected wildlife in a local park.
Kildare Wildlife Rescue (KWR) said is was alerted to the spill on Wednesday evening.
A family of swans, along with four cygnets, were rescued the following day. Volunteers have been trying to rescue other water birds from the area.
An EPA spokesperson said the agency was contacted by the bank on Thursday about the incident which occurred following a fuel delivery.
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They said: “BOI has engaged the services of an environmental services company to assess the scale/clean up of the contamination on site.”
The bank said it has engaged with Dun-Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and the EPA in relation to the spillage. “Action was immediately taken to contain the incident, and no further pollution has been identified,” it said. “We would like to sincerely apologise to the local community for the impact caused.”
The bank said it will continue to “engage fully” with the council and the EPA over the coming period.
It was the second oil spill in the space of a week that the wildlife group responded to. KWR responded last Friday to a spill in Kilminchy, Portlaoise, where severe oil pollution affected three connected lakes in a residential area.
Another family of swans, with four cygnets, along with a number of ducks and other birds were affected. The emergency response team took the swans to safety and said “the process of cleaning and rehabilitating them has begun”.
“Both swan families will have to remain in our care until their territories are clean and safe again. We hope the oil can be cleaned up soon so that the families can return home,” KWR manager Dan Donoher said.
Laois County Council said its environment team is investigating the source of the leakage via sampling and engaging locally.
A spokesperon said the council is “making all efforts to resolve any issues arising, so to ensure that the lakes are a safe habitat for wildlife and a suitable amenity for the public to enjoy”.
Speaking to The Irish Times, rescue co-ordinator for KWR, Pearse Stokes, said while oil spills were “very common” in Ireland, these were different as “the amount of oil or contaminant is considerable”.
He said: “This is very intense, and particularly Kilbogget Park. Just walking through that park you could smell the fumes.”
Mr Stokes said both county councils “were on site pretty quick. They’ve put in the various mitigation measures to try and remove some of this oil”.
A spokesperson for Dún-Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said pollution control staff “installed booms and pads to absorb the spill. These booms and pads will be replaced regularly while the diesel is still in evidence”. They said council staff will continue to visit Kilbogget Park over the weekend to monitor the situation.
People-Before-Profit councillor for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Dave O’Keefe commended the response of KWR and council staff, saying “their dedication made all the difference”.
He said the full cost of the Kilbogget Park clean-up “must be paid by Bank of Ireland, not by the council and certainly not by local people.”
He said: “A simple mechanical failure at Bank of Ireland has now spilled diesel oil into a habitat where otters, birds, insects and plants flourished. That cost may yet prove to be much more than repair money, it could be irreparable loss.”
He has also called on Bank of Ireland to commit to a biodiversity fund, to be administered by Dún-Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.
