News
EPA finds high standard of water quality in west
The Environmental Protection Agency has revealed a 90 per cent compliance rate with the phosphorus Environmental Quality Standards – a key chemical indicator of water quality – across the west.
The EPA this week published three Integrated Water Quality Assessments for 2013 and nationally, these assessments showed that 60% of rivers and lakes in Ireland achieved a High standard of compliance with the phosphorus Environmental Quality Standards.
By contrast, more than 90% of rivers and lakes, in the Western River Basin District display a High compliance with these standards.
Only Clarinbridge and Kilcolgan Rivers in Galway, Ballindine River in Mayo and Tubbercurry River in Sligo displayed ‘less than good’ compliance with the standards.
In the assessment period 2011–2013, Connemara’s Aughrusbeg and Tully lakes improved from moderate to good compliance with key chemical quality standards – including phosphorus – and Nambrackmore Lake improved from good to high.
Carrowmore Lake in Mayo, which is an important angling amenity and drinking water source, declined from good to moderate compliance with these quality standards due to elevated phosphorus results. Loughs Corrib, Mask, Cara and Cullin continued to show a high level of compliance with these standards.
The Western River Basin District is made up of 89 water catchments or drainage systems, includes counties Mayo and Sligo, a proportion of Galway and small parts of Roscommon and Clare.
The main cause of water pollution in the Western River Basin District is nutrient enrichment, caused by an excess of phosphorus and nitrogen inputs.
Analysis of long-term trends, indicate that concentrations of phosphorus in all Irish water bodies (including those in the west) have been decreasing since the late 1990s.
In spite of this, only 80% of river channels in the western region displayed a good or better biological classification in the most recent assessments (2011–2013), with only 27% achieving a high classification. Continued reduction in concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen should result in improved biological classification of these water bodies.
Agricultural pollution (31%) and waste water discharges (26%) were the main causes of river monitoring stations failing to achieve at least Good biological classification in the Western River Basin District.
Commenting on the Western River Basin District Integrated Water Quality Assessment results, said:
“Phosphorus concentration is a key indicator of health for a lake, river, estuary or groundwater,” explained EPA chemist Alan Stephens.
“There is wide regional variation in concentrations of phosphorus in rivers and lakes due mainly to historic agricultural practices. The availability and assessment of up to-date monitoring data and long-term trends will be crucial to identifying, protecting and managing the remediation of vulnerable water bodies.
“Phosphorus inputs to water bodies should continue to be reduced. Changes in practices are required to improve and protect water quality.
Improved compliance with the Nitrates Directive to reduce agricultural pollution will be needed as well as improvements in waste water infrastructure and operational practices,” he added.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
On the eve of completing his 150th marathon, an odyssey that has taken him across 53 countries, Loughrea’s Marathon Man has announced that he is planning to hang up his running shoes.
But not before Jarlath Fitzgerald completes another ten races, making it 160 marathons on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
“I want to draw the line in 2026. I turn 57 in October and when I reach 60 it’s the finishing line. The longer races are taking it out of me. I did 20 miles there two weeks ago and didn’t feel good. It’s getting harder,” he reveals.
“I’ve arthritis in both hips and there’s wear and tear in the knees.”
We speak as he is about to head out for a run before his shift in Supervalu Loughrea. Despite his physical complaints, he still clocks up 30 miles every second week and generally runs four days a week.
Jarlath receives injections to his left hip to keep the pain at bay while running on the road.
To give his joints a break, during the winter he runs cross country and often does a five-mile trek around Kylebrack Wood.
He is planning on running his 150th marathon in Cork on June 4, where a group of 20 made up of work colleagues, friends and running mates from Loughrea Athletics Club will join him.
Some are doing the 10k, others are doing the half marathon, but all will be there on the finishing line to cheer him on in the phenomenal achievement.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
