Effluent pours into Nenagh River – again!

Yet another incident of an inflow of effluent into the Nenagh River has angered locals who are demanding action be taken to protect the waterway.

The pollution can be clearly seen in a video captured by a local angler on Saturday last as it flowed from the Clareen Stream into the river close to the Nenagh Leisure Centre on the Dublin Road.

The Clareen Stream is the main tributary of the Nenagh River in the urban area. Like  the main river, it was once populated by juvenile wild brown trout, various forms of aquatic life and young salmon that are now an endangered species.

Over the decades it has been impacted heavily by pollution and has been the source on many occasions of effluent that makes its way into the Nenagh River, itself renowned for its stocks of wild brown trout - and salmon, until stock dipped alarmingly.

The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) said it had been made aware of an incident that occurred on Saturday last related to “non-complaint discharges” for the Arrabawn facility to the Clareen stream and ultimately the Nenagh River.

The agency confirmed that it undertook a site visit on Sunday last to investigate. The results of that investigation are expected to be made be available in the coming weeks. The EPA said it is also liaising with Inland Fisheres Ireland to establish the impact of the discharge.

The EPA said that under a licence it issued to Arrabawn, the local dairy processing firm was required to cease their discharge directly to the Clareen by December 31 last year.

The agency went on to explain: “However due to planning permission delays, and a planning condition where works in the Nenagh River can only be carried out between July and September, ceasing the discharge has been delayed.”

Planning permission for a new discharge pipe from the Arrabawn site to the Nenagh River was granted by Tipperary County Council in September last year. The EPA said Arrabawn could not complete the works to instate the new discharge point by the date specified under its licence. It said these works will be completed in autumn this year and the discharge to the Clareen Stream will be cease at this point.

‘MAJOR DISCHARGE’

Anglers said they witnessed “a major discharge” of effluent flowing into the main river from the Clareen Stream over last Friday evening and into Saturday. “This is unacceptable in this day and age. It’s despicable,” said one.

What has particularly enraged locals is that this is a repeat of a spillage of effluent from the Clareen into the Nenagh River  that occurred just over three weeks ago.

Anglers said the effluent could be seen flowing down the river for a considerable distance. They are trying to establish if the incident has resulted in a fish kill and have made contact with Inland Fisheries Ireland whose officers were on the scene on Saturday.

Early last month local Independent councillor Séamie Morris highlighted a video shot by a local angler showing another discharge of effluent flowing from the Clareen into the main river. He has again highlighted this most recent incident after being contacted by anglers. Cllr Morris said the effluent had been pouring from the stream into the main river all “all night” last Friday night and well into Saturday. He said it was obvious that the EPA did not have sufficient powers to deter such incidents. He pointed out that the Clareen Stream is subject to targets under the Water Framework Directive and is required to achieve a “Good Status” of water quality y 2027. However, the two latest pollution incidents have led to doubts among locals that this can now be achieved.

Cllr Morris said he was working with Tipperary County Council and local TDs towards giving the EPA “real powers” as it was was obvious that discharge pipes into Nenagh River needed 24-hour monitoring.

Cllr Morris has called on the council to act on a request he made last year to provide him with a full list of licensed discharge pipes into both the Clareen Stream and the Nenagh River.

He has called on the environment section of the council to carry out a full survey of discharge pipes in both rivers.

Several local people have taken to social media to post their anger over the latest spillage.

‘BAD CONDITION’

Last year the EPA reported that the Nenagh River had been badly impacted by pollution and said it was now in “bad condition”.

There is so much pressure on the waterway from pollution that the Uisce Éireann has halted the development of several new housing schemes planned for the town. The utility wants to upgrade the town's waste water treatment plant before it allows the building of any new homes in the urban area.

This has caused much anger among local politicians who say the failures in the environmental control measures are preventing the delivery of new homes in the midst of a protracted housing crisis, forcing many young people to emigrate.