It’s hoped the conviction of Uisce Éireann for the Ballymacraven River Fish Kill will encourage people in North Clare to keep an eye out for water pollution going forward.
It comes as the water utility has been fined €10,000 for the incident which took place in May and resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 fish.
Speaking at Ennis District Court on Friday, solicitor for Inland Fisheries Ireland Dermot O’Donovan described the fish kill which occured on May 2nd of last year as an “ecological tragedy”.
Due to discharge from the Ballymacraven Water Plant running into the Ballymacraven River, 2,000 fish, including salmon, eels and trout lost their lives, with many dying from suffociation.
An inspection of the plant carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency after the incident found the facility was operating at 55% above capacity when the fish kill occured.
After pleading guilty to two charges of water pollution, Uisce Éireann has been fined €10,000 and will be forced to cover Inland Fisheries Ireland’s legal fees which amount to €5,477.
Lahinch Green Party Councillor Liam Grant has questioned whether this is a strong enough penalty to deter Uisce Éireann, as well as other bodies, from allowing toxic chemicals to enter bodies of water in the future.
You can listen to the full interview here:
The court case heard that the Ballymacraven Water Plant is now de-sludged five times weekly which results in 45 tonnes of sludge being removed each week.
In addition, upgrade works worth €7.5 million to increase capacity at the plant are due to be completed in Autumn of this year.
Spokesperson for the Restore Ballymacraven River Association Kevin Nunan believes thanks to the publicity the incident has received, locals will be more empowered to report similar incidents.
You can listen to the full interview here:
