Water quality decline in the South East
Cheekpoint Harbour. Photo: Joe Evans
The water quality in the South East region is on an overall decline according to a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report.
In Waterford, Councillor Jim Griffin referred to the report at a recent meeting. He commented: "The EPA report on the rivers and estuaries came out and the South and the South-East were highlighted quite badly. They noticed nitrates and they pointed the fingers at farmers and landowners but there was very little in the report if you read it about businesses and industry along the river even up as far as Carrick-on-Suir and Mooncoin, which would feed into the estuary."
He went on: "We know there's something not right in the estuary. We've asked on numerous occasions 'where are we going?' and 'what's causing the death of the shellfish beyond even the mouth at Creadan and going into Ballymacaw and down the Wexford route now as well."
Senior Executive Officer Dawn Wallace responded: "We have a newly formed water quality team who are doing a lot of work within our existing resources in relation to looking at areas where there are agricultural run-offs."
Ms Wallace confirmed that the Council are working with other organisations and Councils: "The position of Waterford is such that we are taking away from other areas too."
"We are working closely with the EPA and other agencies in relation to agricultural inspection, we're putting plans in place misconnection inspections and identify misconnections which are all feeding into our water quality," she said.
At the meeting Councillor Pat Fitzgerald raised an issue over Cheekpoint Harbour. He stated: "Recently there's been a 13 metre length of quay wall declared off-limits to boats that need to tie-up there. For 170 years, sailing ships and fishing vessels have tied up along that length of key wall, and it will be missed by the maritime community, if they're not allowed there. It's causing a lot of concern among the maritime community."
Cllr Griffin later said: "The reason why the fishermen need this pier wall is because with all that's going on at the North Quays we haven't got the facility for some of those trawler men who desperately need that wall in bad weather to tie up."
