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The heavy rainfall of recent years hasn’t been
all bad news - it has helped flush out pollutants from one
of the country’s most beautiful lakes.
An improvement in water quality in polluted
Lough Lein, centrepiece of Killarney’s multi-million euro
tourism industry, has been welcomed. Results of chemical monitoring
of the lake show water quality to be currently at its best
for the last 16 years, according to Kerry County Council.
Exceptionally heavy rainfall and two of the
wettest summers on record may be the main reasons for the
improvement, the council’s environmental services section
reported.
The report also said there was a decline in
transparency in the lake in December and January, reflecting
a significant input of sediment due to increased rainfall
and snow melt.
Last year, the state of Lough Lein was highlighted
to the European Court of Justice as an example of Ireland’s
failure to comply with EU waste water directives. At a hearing
in Luxembourg, the EU Commission criticised Ireland’s record
on environmental protection, especially in relation to the
handling of waste from septic tanks.
A case study before the court showed that 12%
of polluting phosphorus entering Lough Lein came from domestic
septic tanks.
The results of the latest report were disclosed
at a meeting of Killarney area councillors. Mayor Michael
Gleeson pointed to other factors contributing to the improvement
- including REPS, farm management, forestry interests’ decision
to stop spreading certain fertilisers and commitments by the
Lough Lein Working Group and Kerry Co Council.
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