Cork creamery effluent discharge being investigated amid major fish kill
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) has begun an investigation into effluent discharges by a creamery into a tributary of the Blackwater river in
North Cork
but says the discharge is not related to the deaths of thousands of fish in the river.
The EPA confirmed last night it is 'conducting a Compliance Investigation into issues at North Cork Creameries related to the quality of effluent discharges into the River Allow', which flows downstream from Kanturk town into the Blackwater.
'Based on the investigation to date, there is no causal link between the site's emissions and the tragic loss of fish life further downstream in the River Blackwater,' said the EPA which has been liaising with
Inland Fisheries Ireland
(IFI) in the wake of the fish kill.
According to IFI, some 8,000 to 10,000 fish comprising primarily brown trout but including juvenile salmon and dace have died over an 18km stretch of the Blackwater, beginning some 12km upstream of Mallow and extending 6km downstream of the town.
READ MORE
But local angling groups have estimated that more than 40,000 fish have died over the past eight days and that the dead fish have been found over a 30km stretch of the river from Clonmeen, near Banteer, all the way down to Killavullen, which is downstream of Mallow.
The EPA said North Cork Creameries, which is a farmer-owned co-operative, is taking actions to reduce inputs to its waste water treatment plant and to restore compliance with its licence.
The EPA said it is not currently considering an order to shut down milk-processing operations at the site but said the site-visit reports by its staff will be available on its online Licence Enforcement Access Portal.
The confirmation by the EPA it is investigating North Cork Creameries comes as a leading figure in angling on the Blackwater warned the fish kill could result in the river taking up to ten years or more to replenish its fish stocks.
Mallow Trout Anglers chairman John Ruby showing Minister of State Timmy Dooley the impact of the fish kill on the river Blackwater. Photograph: Mallow Trout Anglers
Chairman of Killavullen Angling Club Conor Arnold said the large fish kill is going to have repercussions for years in terms of angling on the Blackwater which supports up to 1,000 trout and salmon anglers.
'It's very hard to put an exact number of fish that died but we applied a bit of logic to the number of fish we were taking out and we are definitely in the tens of thousands – it's definitely over 40,000 from what we can estimate – it's phenomenal – the river is dying before our eyes.
'Brown trout are indigenous to the river and while it's hard to estimate, such is the scale of the fish kill, I would estimate it will take eight to ten years for the stock to replenish while it will also have a huge impact on salmon as two to three generations of salmon have been wiped out.
'It's going to seriously damage one of the primary salmon and trout fisheries in Europe.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Part of Luas Red line closed for ‘at least' a week due to damage from fire near IFSC
Luas Red Line services will not operate between Connolly and The Point for at least a week following a major fire that broke out yesterday near the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). Locals witnessed flames shooting up from underneath the George's Dock Bridge at about 6.10pm yesterday evening. Four fire engines , a foam tender and a water tanker attended the fire at George's Dock. The fire was brought under control at about 10.30pm. Building inspections commenced at midnight after an appeal was put out for keyholders to attend the scene. Luas operator Transdev said on Wednesday evening that there is 'significant damage' to George's Dock Bridge, which forms part of the Red line. The bridge must undergo essential repairs, structural engineering assessments and multiple inspections from engineers and safety experts, it said. READ MORE 'Only when these works and checks are complete will services be able to resume,' the operator said. Currently, Transdev cannot confirm a reopening date, but it will continue to provide updates on progress. It said the bridge will 'remain closed for at least the next seven days, and until it is certified safe for use'. 'These checks are essential for everyone's safety, and we appreciate your patience and support,' it said, adding that trams are operating between Tallaght/Saggart and Connolly. Luas tickets are valid on local Dublin Bus services at this time. Firefighting operations continued overnight. The incident was then further scaled back and one fire engine remained at the scene. It left at 10.30am on Wednesday. Fire inspectors, gardaí and engineers have been assessing the damage underneath the bridge, which is an important crossing point in the Dublin Docklands area. One local, who asked not to be named, said they were alerted to the fire by a smell like burning tyres. 'I came out and the whole bridge was in flames,' he said. Gardaí and Dublin Fire Brigade personnel inspect the damaged George's Dock Bridge after a fire overnight. Photograph: Ronan McGreevy He added that other residents had seen blue flames shooting up from the ground, indicating a gas leak. In a statement, Gas Networks Ireland said: 'At 18:29 we responded immediately to a request for assistance from the fire services to an incident in the George's Dock area of Dublin. 'Our staff arrived on site at 19:06. The crew worked closely with the emergency services to safely isolate the gas flow. An investigation into the cause of the incident is under way.' Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Ray McAdam said the situation 'could have been much worse' given that the incident occurred at a busy time and flames were quickly seen enveloping the bridge. Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Ray McAdam at the scene of the bridge fire in the Dublin Docklands. 'But it looks to me that it was quite a serious fire and [resolving] it was down to the quality and expertise of our fire brigade personnel, and thankfully there was no member of the [Dublin Fire Brigade] injured either. 'We will have the results of the assessment as soon as possible so we can provide certainty to Luas users,' he said. 'We have to understand the full consequences of the damage done to the infrastructure and we will try and ensure that things return to normal as quickly as possible. We need to make sure it is all safe first.' A coffee shop adjacent to the bridge was closed early on Wednesday morning, as was the Harbour Bar across the road from it. Electricity was restored to them on Wednesday morning. Other businesses in the area were working normally. It is estimated temperatures at the site of the fire reached 1,000 degrees during it, and that the steel girders holding up the bridge can withstand temperatures of up to 600 degrees. Cllr McAdam said it could take as long as 48 hours to ascertain the damage to the bridge, but it will not reopen as either a pedestrian or Luas crossing until it is safe to do so. Firefighters battled intense flames at George's Dock in Dublin after a major blaze broke out Tuesday evening. Photograph: Damien Storan Dublin Fire brigade members battle a fire near the IFSC on Tuesday evening. Photograph: Damien Storan Dublin Fire Brigade members battle a blaze near the IFSC. Photograph: Damien Storan Dublin Fire Brigade members fighting the fire near Dublin's IFSC. Photograph: Sam Boal/Collins
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Kneecap tells supporters 'keep talking about Palestine'
The Curran family from Ballyfermot, whose home was destroyed by a firebomb, have moved back in following the help of a local builder. Video: Sarah Burns
Irish Times
6 hours ago
- Irish Times
Talks ongoing over works for ‘empty, gorgeous art deco' library, Dublin council says
Talks are 'ongoing' within Dublin City Council about works required for the old Inchicore Library building in Dublin 8 that has been empty for more than five years. It is expected the building on Emmet Road will not come back into operation again until early 2027, with no decision yet made as to what it will be used for. Since its closure, a temporary library has been operating out of Richmond Barracks with a permanent library included in plans for the regeneration of the former St Michael's Estate. Labour councillor Darragh Moriarty said it was taking the council 'far too long to come to a decision' regarding the future use of the building. READ MORE The building was shut in early 2020 for refurbishment works, which were halted during Covid-19 restrictions. When restrictions were lifted, the preferred contractor said they could no longer stand over the costs quoted for the work due to inflation. In December 2022, pipes burst in the building and the ceiling fell in. Constructed in 1937, it was one of four similar libraries built by Dublin Corporation between 1935 and 1940 in the suburbs of Phibsborough, Ringsend, Drumcondra and Inchicore. Dublin city councillors were told in May that the council remained 'fully committed' to the refurbishment of the building. [ Inchicore in Dublin named one of 38 'coolest neighbourhoods on the planet' Opens in new window ] Cllr Darragh Moriarty: 'You have this empty, gorgeous art deco building with no real end use in mind.' Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/ The Irish Times 'The plan to have an anchor tenant in place to maintain and manage the building whilst facilitating community groups outside of normal business hours is still at the forefront of the engagement process with local community groups and elected members in the area,' it said. 'The current proposed timeline for the project is that the procurement of the design team, preparation of detailed drawings and completion of the tender process is 10 months from June 2025 to March 2026. 'After this period of time it is anticipated that the contractor will take eight months to complete the refurbishment from April 2026 until December 2026.' Cllr Moriarty said it was 'shambolic' that the building had been empty since 2020. 'You have this empty, gorgeous art deco building with no real end use in mind, and the building is decaying all the time. 'There's a real sense of fatigue with consultations and asking the community what they want, they're just like: 'Do something'. 'The people of Inchicore and Kilmainham have a huge connection to that space. They remember going down to the library as a child, people in their 60s, 70s, and 80s. 'People are really frustrated to not see it bustling and see some activity in there. It is sad because it's been locked up for five years and we're not really going to have it refurbished for 15 or 16 months if all timelines go to plan.' Cllr Moriarty added there was an educational organisation looking into using the building once renovated to operate adult day and evening classes, with plans for community groups to be able to avail of the space also. 'That's something we've been keen to get out of this - that it does become a multi-use space,' he said. 'The council have been telling us in order for it to be viable in terms of costs and everything, it needs an anchor tenant that's getting permanent use out of it and then auxiliary uses tagged onto it as well. That educational use, to the best of my knowledge, hasn't progressed.' Dublin City Council said this week that internal discussions were ongoing in relation to the works required.
