DOWN Green Party Cllr Cadogan Enright has expressed his shock and dismay at the devastation caused to the fish and wildlife in the Quoile basin by severe pollution at the weekend. He claimed that Government Agencies of one kind or another were responsible for most pollution in the Quoile and its tributaries, and it was no longer acceptable for the Government to investigate itself. An independent Environmental Agency was the only way forward.
“There has been thousand s of fish killed in the Quoile River since I first reported the problem on Thursday. I photographed and videoed what appears to be oil and sewage which has contaminated the river all the way from the Belfast Road to the Quoile barrier and almost all of the fish have been killed, including perch, rudd, pike, eels and many seafish from the Lough. See www.downgreens.com said Cllr Enright. Even the river snails were dying.”
Cadogan rejected claims by the NI Environment Agency that problem was a natural occurrence of Oxygen deficiency caused by a natural increase in organic matter.
Cllr Enright does not believe that the fish kill on this scale could have been caused naturally. “I have spoken with my fellow local anglers and they have told me that this extent of loss is unprecedented and is obviously the result of pollution. I have walked upstream and the problem does not seem to exist after you pass the Downpatrick sewerage works and the “plank drain”. The Green Party recently had the plank-drain tested and it is heavily polluted.
“The biodiversity in this river has been destroyed and will take years to recover. Many of the larger fish killed were at least fifteen years old. That means we are talking about more than a decade before the river will recover to what it was beforehand.”
Cllr Enright continued “This incident is the most serious in a long history of water pollution in the rivers around Downpatrick. It highlights the need for a real independent Environmental Protection Agency which can investigate this and prosecute those responsible. Environment Minister Sammy Wilson’s recent proposal for no change in this area is unacceptable”.
Despite repeated leaks of sewerage into the Quoile from Ballynahinch, Crossgar and Drumaness amongst others no one is being prosecuted. The Finnebrouge stream has been foully polluted, as has the “plank Drain” from the old council dump under Dunleath Park. There are few if any tributaries that one government agency or another has not either directly polluted or allowed to be polluted via lack of prosecution.
Cllr Enright concluded “The loss of these fish is not only bad news for local people, anglers and Tourism, but also for the wildlife which feed on the river, as well as those who enjoy the river through sailing and canoeing, as well as farmers whose livestock drink the water.”
“Downpatrick needs a new sewage treatment plant and an infrastructure which can deal with the large volumes in the town as a priority. There are also concerns that pollution is coming from the old council dumps along the river and, if so, the Council needs to take every measure to secure these against seepage and contamination.”
Press Cuttings: 'Polluted' Downpatrick river could take 20 years to recover, Outrage over fish kill - front page, Politicians demanding inquiry, Devastation at fish kill in the Quoile
