Tipperary councillors raise concerns over excessive plant growth around Lough Derg

Concerns have been raised over the intensive growth of aquatic plants around Lough Derg.

The concerns follow on from the reports of the huge amount of algal pollution hitting Lough Neagh.

Councillors at the September meeting of Nenagh Municipal District told the meeting that the plant growth was wiping out prime swimming amenities and sparking concerns as to what exactly was causing “epidemic” levels of reed growth.

Cllr Joe Hannigan said reed growth had increased so much in traditional swimming areas around the lakeshore in recent years that it was now at “epidemic” levels.

He warned that highly popular and traditional bathing areas, such as in Luska and Skehanagh would disappear due accelerated growth of reed beds.

“We are going to have to tackle the reeds,” he warned.

They had been cut in the past, but had regrown swiftly and were now “worse than ever”.

Raising the issue, Cllr Hannigan said the lakeside community in Lower Ormond had their own theories on what was causing the excessive growth, but such theories were not backed by scientific evidence.

Nutrient runoffs from farms were being blamed, but the agriculture sector might be getting “a belt” it did not deserve, he said, pointing out that many treatment plants in towns and villages were running at capacity or overcapacity and that these may be the source of the increase in the growth of aquatic plants in the lake.

“Irish Water has a big part to play here in protecting our water quality,” he said.

Many people had brought it to his attention that reed growth was taking over in some of the prime swimming areas

Cllr Ger Darcy said accelerated reed growth on the lake was something that had been raised “for years and years”.

The right thing to do would be to cut the reeds, but this was not allowed.

“It’s a terrible pity to lose these swimming amenities due to thick reed growth," he said.

Cllr Seamus Morris said the council should commission an environmental report to establish what was causing the problems. The reeds had been cut in Skehanagh a number of years ago but had grown back.

“Skehanagh was one of the best places on the lake to swim and we have lost that, and our kids have lost that,” he said.

Cllr John Carroll said water quality in general had become an issue on the lake. Councillors needed to bring in experts for a workshop to find out what exactly was happening in Lough Derg and to establish how to protect water based activities like swimming and angling.

District Administrator, Rosemary Joyce, undertook to write to Waterways Ireland to find out if the Council could cut reed beds to restore bathing areas.

It was a sensitive issue as many of the amenities were in Special Areas of Conservation, she said.