No explanation for Corrib algae

Three organisations with responsibility for water quality on Lough Corrib, the source of Galway’s drinking water, said the origin of algal bloom pollution at Oughterard Bay is a mystery.

Irish Water and Galway County Council, which are jointly responsible for Oughterard’s Sewage Treatment Plant, said they are not aware of the cause of the algal bloom at Oughterard Bay.

And Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) – which consulted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) following queries from this newspaper – also said it could not identify the source of the algal bloom.

However, IFI, the County Council and Irish Water, intimated that the accumulation of a scum-like substance on the surface of the water could be naturally occurring.

Dr Roderick O’Sullivan, writer, environmental scientist and international authority on salmon farming, said he has “never seen anything like it”.

“Oughterard Bay is currently a disgraceful sight – mats of sewage sludge cover the surface; islands of green scum float listlessly with the wind and both shore and pier are festooned with rotting and decaying beds of algae,” he said last week.

“Oughterard has been virtually closed down for the past quarter due to Covid-19. This means no sewage was produced from tourists, hotels, pubs, restaurants, B&Bs, shops, and businesses, so the Sewage Treatment Plant loadings were minimal throughout this period – this whole thing stinks.”

Dr O’Sullivan pointed out that Lough Corrib is an SAC (Special Area of Conservation) bound by the Habitats Directive and under EU regulations the three organisations “are failing in their statutory obligations to protect this particularly important segment of Lough Corrib”.

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