Source of major Louth fish kill was in County Monaghan, council confirms
A significant fish kill along a fifteen mile stretch of the River Glyde has been a “major disaster” for the environment and local fishermen, a meeting of Ardee councillors heard this week.
Cllr. Pearse McGeough acknowledged that investigations are being carried out into the cause of the fish kill, but described the incident as “a tremendous blow to the ecology and environment in this area.”
The fish kill was “devastating for those who work the river”, said Cllr. McGeough, and particularly for local fishing groups “who have spent hours at a time nurturing the river, putting in soil at the base of the river, and improving the bank.”
He added: “Every fish in that river is dead,” saying that it had been a “major disaster” for the town of Ardee and surrounding areas.
The meeting heard that it was understood spawning areas upstream had not been affected.
Louth County Council also issued an update on the incident, confirming that it was notified by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) on the evening of Tuesday, 2 June that discolouration had been observed in the River Glyde and that dead fish had been identified at various locations along the river.
A spokesman said: “IFI commenced an inspection of the catchment from Castlebellingham to Aclint. The source of the pollution was identified as agricultural discharge from a location in County Monaghan, close to the Louth border.”
The local authority said the source of the pollution has been stopped, and they are continuing to monitor oxygen levels in the River Glyde in Co. Louth.
“The incident is clearing, with levels returning to normal.”
The council are also liaising with Uisce Éireann, which has confirmed that there are no issues affecting water for public abstraction.
A spokesman said the Tallanstown water treatment plant was decommissioned over a year ago “and there are no other public abstraction points in the area.”
“The River Glyde discharges into Dundalk Bay at Annagassan; to date, no impacts on coastal waters or bathing water sites have been reported. Louth County Council continues to carry out weekly monitoring in line with its obligations under the Bathing Water Regulations.”