Meeting to discuss quality of rivers and lakes

A NATIONAL conference, the first of its type held in Ireland, opens in Cork today to address the quality of our lakes and rivers.

More than 100 delegates are set to attend and will be told that Ireland needs to draw up and implement policies which will ensure that all our natural waters achieve high EU purity standard by 2015.

Sean Ó Breasail, who is district co-ordinator for one of the seven regional taskforces formed to address the issue, said that difficulties such as “diffuse pollution” would have to be tackled.

One problem being encountered is an excess of nitrates, coming from fertiliser, which is seeping into groundwater and then contaminating rivers and lakes.

“Municipal sewage must also looked at. By and large most of our effluent is treated, but it may not be treated to the highest possible standard,” Mr Ó Breasail said.

Delegates will include county councillors, environmentalists, anglers, hydrologists and representatives from the agricultural and industrial sectors. The conference will be opened by Minister for State at the Department of the Environment Batt O’Keeffe.

Mr Ó Breasail said Ireland had a better overall standard of water quality than the vast majority of European countries, but it is important that it keeps one step ahead.

“We will be looking at physical barriers such as locks and weirs to see what effect they have on fish. The conference will be an introduction for advisory councils to point them to the direction we’re going in. It will be important to get balance with all interested parties.”

Mr Ó Breasail said that to achieve the EU target of good status in all our waters by 2015 requires the active management of water quality, the protection of aquatic ecosystems and the preparation of river basin management plans.