Dead fish at Claremorris lake leads for calls for Irish Water to be disbanded

EVIDENCE of a fish kill at one of the most popular amenities in Claremorris have led for calls for Irish Water (Uisce Éireann) to be disbanded.

Councillors from the Claremorris-Swinford Muncipal District area have expressed concern after the appearance of sewage in the Clare Lake.

Members of the municipal district council have voted to outline their concerns in writing to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The pollution in the lake is believed to have arisen from an overflow tank near the lake.

Local councillor Tom Connolly called for Mayo County Council and the Environmental Protection Agency to take action against Irish Water in light of the issue, which he said had been ‘going on long, long time’.

Cllr Connolly produced photos of dead fish near the lake from Claremorris Chamber of Commerce, who attached them in an email demanding urgent action.

“Claremorris Chamber has been actively engaged in lobbying Irish Water to take action to upgrade the overflow tanks and due to recent rain fall the situation has dramatically deteriorated,” read the email from Chamber of Commerce.

Expressing his concern, Cllr Connolly called for action to be taken against Irish Water over the issue.

“This is their problem. If a farmer did this he’d be prosecuted,” he said.

“Clare Lake and McMahon Park is one of the most scenic beauty spots in Claremorris and a lot of work has been done there on a voluntary basis. Thousands of people walk around that lake every single year.”

Cllr Richard Finn, who is a member of the Clare Lake/McMahon Park Committee, said the situation had been report to the area engineer ‘on many occasions’.

“If it was a famer, or it was any private individual, they’d be locked up at this stage, and if they weren’t locked up they’d be out of business or they’d be fined severely,” said Cllr Finn.

The Independent councillor demanded to know who was responsible, saying that ‘very little’ and been done to follow up with the culprits.

“The general public genuinely report it to local councillors, local councillors get onto Irish Water, they get onto the environmental section, they get onto Mayo County Council. Between the three, no one seems to know who’s in charge of the place and nobody wants to know who’s in charge,” said Cllr Finn.

“It’s about time now that something was done in relation to this. It’s one of the best parks in the country and has to be treated as such and not be treated the way it’s being treated.”

_{The shoreline at Clare Lake in Claremorris}

Cllr Connolly and Cllr Finn’s concerns were echoed by other members of the municipal district council.

Cllr Damien Ryan (Fianna Fáil) called for Irish Water to be disbanded and suggested that Mayo County Council’s environmental section should prepare a report to be sent to the EPA on the matter.

Cllr Patsy O’Brien (Independent) said that Irish Water had ‘no respect for anybody’, adding, “I think if they keep going the way they’re going they’ll be disbanded, because they are not fit to do their business.”

Several councillors compared the situation to the conditions faced by farmers who were subject to environmental inspections and were charged bills for multiple water meters.

Cllr Gerry Murray, Cathaoirleach of Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District, said that Irish Water ‘wasn’t working’ and called for local authorities to be given back responsibility for the water network.

A motion was then passed calling on Mayo County Council to write to the EPA on the matter.

In a statement issued to The Mayo News, Irish Water said that it is currently Uisce Éireann is carrying out investigations and putting plans in place to reduce overflows at Clare Lake in Claremorris. 

“We are committed to safeguarding public health and protecting the environment in all our activities and we will continue to proactively liaise with Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Environmental Protection Agency in relation to all these matters,” an Uisce Éireann spokesperson said.