Lough Derg turns pea green
Some of the most cherished visitor and tourist amenities on the shores of Lough Derg have taken on a distinctly green hue this week as thick algal blooms have turned the waters of the lake into something resembling pea soup.
“Is This Just The Beginning?” is the question posed by the Lough Derg Anglers Association (LDAA) as they expressed fears that Derg could end up like Lough Neagh, which has made international headlines over the past two years due to an ecological disaster caused by toxic blue-green algal blooms.
The anglers’ association claim the blooms have been caused by a drop in water levels in Lough Derg, resulting from the volumes being let through the hydro-electric power station at Ardnacrusha by the ESB, who manage the lake.
The anglers said a lowering in lake water levels of up to 40 centimeres has led to significant algal blooms appearing along the shorelines, particularly in Dromineer and Portumna.
“There are also reports from the public of a fish kill involving perch and trout,” says the LDAA.
The association is expressing concern for the future of the lake: “This situation raises a critical question: Is Lough Derg beginning to resemble Lough Neagh, or will we see a large-scale fish kill similar to the recent event in the Blackwater, which was the largest in the state's history with no accountability?”
The anglers’ representative body says varying water levels are detrimental to freshwater lakes and contribute to pollution in several ways, sparking sediment exposure by releasing stored nutrients and chemicals from the sediment built up in the lake bed.
They say it also disrupts aquatic habitats, unbalancing the ecosystem and making it more vulnerable to external pollution.
The anglers say that rapid drops in water levels, especially followed by heavy rainfall that we have seen in recent weeks, can increase surface runoff, carrying pollutants from land into the lake that can spark the blooms.
The blooms on Derg are now almost an annual event and the anglers say that “this ongoing issue provides yet another reason why the proposed pipeline to Dublin is ill-advised, as it will only cause significant damage to the local environment and our water resources.”
Nenagh councillor Séamie Morris has condemned the latest incident and has urged dog owners not to allow their pets near the water as it can prove fatal if they drink it. He has called on the council to launch an investigation to ascertain the source of the blooms. The District Administrator of the Nenagh municipality, Rosemary Joyce, has informed him that the matter has been referred to the Envrionment Section of Tipperary County Council.
green scum
People in Dromineer have been posting pictures of the green scum on the lake’s edge in recent days and say they have been prevented from swimming due to the thick blooms.
On Tuesday, the council issued a press releaase advising the public to exercise caution on Lough Derg due to the blooms. “Tipperary County Council, in consultation with the HSE, wishes to advise of the presence of algal boom on Lough Derg in recent days. The blue green algae bloom can produce harmful toxins and is most easily recognised when it forms a bright pea-green paint like scum on or close to the shoreline.”
The council said contact with these blooms should be avoided as it may cause skin irritation and it warned that animals, especially dogs, sould be kept away from the affected area.