‘Worrying trend’ on water quality in local courses

Water quality in two local rivers has disimproved over the past 10 years to the point where it is now a “worrying trend”, the July meeting of Nenagh Municipal District heard.

Fran Igoe of the Local Authority Water Waters Programme (LAWPRO) told councillors that there was a need to reverse what was happening in the Nenagh and Kilmastulla rivers. He said that the two rivers were “famous” for brown trout.

Mr Igoe revealed that Lough Derg, which has seen a modest improvement in water quality, was home to the Irish pollan, a species that was only found in five other lakes globally.

Overall, water quality in Tipperary had dropped from 61% in 2010-2015 to 33% between 2016-2022, a relative drop of 46%, he told councillors at their July meeting. Mr Igoe said that there was a “significant challenge” ahead in reclaiming water quality in our lakes and rivers.

Cllr Seamus Morris said the Nenagh River was being “poisoned” by discharges from a wastewater treatment pipe at Ballycommon and it had taken complaints from local anglers to the Environmental Protection Agency before it was shut down by Irish Water. He said the EPA told him the pipe had no licence to operate. The treatment plant was now being emptied seven days a week.

Cllr Phyll Bugler welcomed the slight improvement in Lough Derg water quality, which had gone from poor to moderate. However, she said that there had been 26 flooding events in Ballina last year, and three major ones this year.

Mr Igoe said there was a need to look at planting more trees in an effort to slow water coming into the town. He also said there was a need to look at handling drainage differently because of the amount of water coming down.

Cllr Joe Hannigan was also positive about the improvement to Lough Derg. However, he said it was “alarming” that water quality in Tipperary had fallen over the last 10 years.

Anthony Coleman of LAWPRO told the meeting that agriculture had a “big impact” on water quality in Tipperary. In a presentation to the meeting, it was revealed that Tipperary had the worst water quality in the south-east.