Fears over Lough Derg algal blooms

Concern that Nenagh residents received their water supply from Lough Derg was voiced by Cllr Séamie Morris at the October meeting of Tipperary County Council.

He said the green scum caused by algal blooms on the lake in recent weeks had sparked huge concern. The pollution proved that the lake had reached a very dangerous point.

Cllr Morris said he had received reports of what he called unseasonable lowering of water levels in the lake. This had stirred up nitrate sediment from the lake bed and sparked the toxic blooms. It was a health and safety issue that the council would have to seriously consider.

He said some of the worst blooms were just one hundred metres from the intake pipe that feeds the town of Nenagh with its water supply.

Cllr Morris said in some areas of Tipperary the level of Trihalomethanes (THMs) in water supplies was above European guidelines.

Some studies suggest a possible link between very long-term exposure to high levels of THMs and a slightly increased risk of certain cancers.

He called for a multi-agency meeting on the impact of lowering water levels on Derg, warning of the possible impacts on the lake posed by the planned Shannon to Dublin water pipeline.