Kerry councillor urges Uisce Éireann to fix river pollution ‘before its too late’

By Alastair Tibbs, The Kerryman

A Kerry councillor has urged Uisce Éireann to fix record levels of pollution in a local river “before its too late”.

Councillor John O’Donoghue says the bad water quality of River Laune could be disastrous for public health and wildlife in the area.

Flowing between Killarney and Killorglin, River Laune was identified in a recent report as being one of the top four most polluted rivers in the country.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its Water Quality in 2023 Indicators Report which found stretches of the waterway were of bad quality due to urban waste water.

“Saying all is fine is no longer good enough and I am calling on Uisce Éireann to find the cause of this pollution and rectify the situation immediately,” Cllr O’Donoghue said.

“The line that all is fine and there’s nothing to see is wearing thin. All is clearly not fine and we need answers before it is too late,” he added.

Meanwhile, toxins linked to the badly polluted waters of Lough Neagh were detected in the flesh of fish for the first time on Wednesday.

The lough, which is the largest body of fresh water in Ireland and the British Isles, has experienced a third summer of blue-green algae blooms, which have killed pet dogs and wildlife. Blue-green algae is a collection of microscopic organisms that are naturally present in loughs and rivers, but can become abundant in warm, nutrient-rich waters.

“The recent disaster in Lough Neagh has shown that even heavily monitored lakes are not immune from disaster, and as the Lakes of Killarney are the jewel in our tourist crown, something similar happening here would be disastrous,” said Cllr O’Donoghue.

“All of that pales in comparison when one considers the environmental damage to ecological habitats which would take years to right.”

The EPA previously said it believed the source of pollution was the Folly Stream which receives water from the Killarney Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP).

However, in a recent meeting with Uisce Éireann the council was assured that the Folly Stream had good water quality – though when prompted by Cllr O’Donoghue to drink a glass of water from the stream, an Uisce Éireann engineer declined.

Killarney WWTP was first put into service in 1974 and has been upgraded and expanded in several stages since.

While Uisce Éireann has promised to upgrade the plant as part of a nationwide effort set to begin in 2030, councillors say this isn’t soon enough.

Pressure from environmental and fishing groups could freeze much-needed planning applications at a time when the housing crisis is in full-swing.

“We are in the midst of major re-zoning of land around Killarney which will lead to a huge amount of development in the coming year or two. This additional housing is very welcome as we are in the midst of a well documented housing crisis, but I have grave reservations despite reassurances from Uisce Éireann about the ability of the Waste Treatment Plant to handle the increased capacity,” said Mr O’Donoghue.

“It is simply inconceivable to think that a plant built over 30 years ago would have been designed with a capacity level when first opened to still be catering to the huge increase in houses without major upgrades.”