IT IS the only part of the ambitious dream known as Campus Ireland that has become a reality. And the National Aquatic Centre (NAC) had its fleeting moment of glory when it hosted the Special Olympics swimming competition in the summer of 2003. It was finished just in time to meet the deadline for the event, which went off smoothly. But the cracks soon appeared.

The facility, which cost the Irish taxpayer €62m to build, twice the original price tag, is beset by structural and legal difficulties. In January it lost part of its roof, blown off in a freak New Year’s Day storm. Although initially the wind was blamed, it turned out that the fitting of the roof sheeting had been substandard. The pool was out of commission until the end of May while repairs were carried out.

Barely reopened, it is now reported to be leaking 5m litres of chlorinated water a month through cracks in the structure. Experts say it could cost taxpayers as much as €20m to repair. A preliminary survey of the building by engineers working for Dublin Waterworld, the company hired to run the pool, warns of significant structural damage to the building, which it believes was the cause of leaks in the swimming pool.

Dublin Waterworld is in court fighting the state agency that owns the centre, Campus Stadium Ireland (CSID), amid allegations of unpaid Vat and rent arrears.

A second claim by one of a consortium that bid to run the pool is also under way.

Agec, the engineering company trying to establish the cause of the leaks, found cracking across the “ground-bearing basement slab” that it believes could threaten “the long-term safe operation and maintenance of the building”.

Rohcon, the construction company that built the complex just two years ago, is returning today with its own experts. It claims it was denied access to the building last week and disputes claims that it is responsible for the structural problems.

Last week Bertie Ahern blamed “the wind” for blowing the roof off the aquatic centre, but was later forced to concede that the fitting of the roof sheeting had been substandard.

The taoiseach has been a strong supporter of the Campus Ireland project, which incorporated the so-called Bertie Bowl — an 80,000-seat stadium — when it was first proposed. It was to sit at the heart of a world-class complex including the Olympic standard pool, cycle velodrome and elite sports-training facilities.

Fianna Fail’s coalition partners, the Progressive Democrats, vetoed the stadium when construction estimates topped €1 billion, but the NAC construction went ahead.

The competition pool and leisure facilities attract 1m visitors a year. On July 11 the High Court battle will resume between CSID, the state company that owns the Campus Ireland site, including the pool, and Dublin Waterworld.

Mr Justice Peter Kelly in the Commercial Court — a new fast-track division of the High Court — has commissioned David Keane, a Dublin architect, to adjudicate on competing claims over who is responsible for the structural problems.

The deadline for submissions from the warring parties to Keane lapsed on Friday.

CSID is suing Dublin Waterworld to terminate its 30-year lease, claiming the operator of the pool owes €10m in Vat and €500,000 in rent. It also alleges that Dublin Waterworld has failed to maintain the huge complex in west Dublin.

Dublin Waterworld has lodged a €2m counter-suit for loss of earnings and other damages. It argues that it withheld rent because the building was defective and it disputes the valuation of its lease at €75m and the €10m Vat liability that it created.

On Friday the CSID won a Vat arbitration hearing against Waterworld, which is now seeking legal advice on that ruling.

The latest engineering assessment, suggesting a multi- million-euro repair job is needed on the foundations of the Olympic pool building, has been prepared for Waterworld in its battle with CSID and Rohcon, its consortium partners.

Agec emphasised that the survey, carried out on a single day last week, was a preliminary “visual geotechnical assessment of the foundation conditions within the NAC”, and would require detailed investigations to confirm the findings.

The survey was confined to the plant room of the building below ground level, which is effectively separated from the water-filled competition pool by a wall. It found cracks up to 2mm wide — 10 times what Agec said would be the norm for surface cracks in a building of its scale just two years old.

Agec considered this “unacceptable degree” of cracking and distress in the basement floor to be due to “either settlement subsidence of the underlying founding strata or uplift pressure from ground-water below”.

While further detailed investigations of the pool and tiled areas were necessary, Agec said the cracking was a threat to long-term operation until the cause was identified and remedial measures put in place.

Rohcon surveyed the building a fortnight ago and rejected all claims of leaks and structural defects. It wrote to CSID on June 21 to say that all known defects had been remedied, but sought access to the building again last week after it emerged the pool was leaking. The construction firm says the cost of repairs to the storm-damaged roof will be met by insurers.

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