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A SIGNIFICANT PRESENCE of algal blooms on Blessington Lake in Co Wicklow have raised local concerns in the wake of an environmental disaster in Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.
Algae are tiny organisms that can build up to form large clumps with a green colour known as algal blooms, which can be potentially harmful for human and animal health and damage the surrounding environment.
Lough Neagh, which borders five counties and is the largest freshwater like on the island of Ireland has been hit by a major algal bloom that has killed wildlife and raised questions about the safety of drinking water.
Algal blooms have been seen in recent days on Blessington Lake, known more formally as the Poulaphouca Reservoir, which supplies water to Dublin. The area around the lake is popular with visitors and locals, including dog walkers.
The blooms are known to temporarily occur on the lake periodically and usually do not require any extra steps to be taken in the water treatment process. The current Blessington blooms are not believed to be as insidious as those in Lough Neagh but have raised concerns nonetheless due to their potential risks for humans, animals and nature.
Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore told The Journal that multiple locals have contacted her abou the blooms, which thrive in warm, wet weather conditions and may become more frequent with climate change.
Speaking to The Journal, Whitmore, the Social Democrats’ biodiversity spokesperson, said that “a number of constituents have been in touch worried about the potential impact on water supply and on their pets, because certain algal blooms can be toxic”.
“We’re going to see more and more of this. Algal blooms are caused by nutrification – nutrients running off the land and into the water. There are also naturally occurring ones, but primarily, following heavy rainfall you get this level of leaching [from the land],” Whitmore outlined.
This is an area on the Blessington lakes today, it supplies 50% of the water for the Greater Dublin Area.
— Elaine McGoff (@ElaineMcgoff) October 3, 2023
We may not have an equivalent to Lough Neagh in the republic yet, but we will if we keep going on our current trajectory. pic.twitter.com/Ni0uZM3RLh
“We have seen a number of lakes, not just Lough Neagh but a number of lakes, over recent months where there have been severe blooms.
It’s another alarm bell ringing to let us know that how we are managing our land and our water sources is not sustainable.
“As temperatures rise, we will see more and more of these kind of issues impacting water supplies and it has impacts on biodiversity as well.”
Whitmore has written to Uisce Éireann to ask it communicates with local residents to “either allay their fears or to outline what they are doing and what potential impacts there are”.
In a statement to The Journal, the water utilities company said that the raw water supply taken from the lake and brought to the Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant is monitored continuously with “24/7 instrumentation, a laboratory sampling program and visual inspections of the reservoir”.
“Further quality analysis and checks take place through each step of the treatment process and in the distribution network to ensure the water supplied to customers is safe to drink. Algae blooms do periodically occur for a variety of reasons, but do not typically impact the treatment process at Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant.”
ESB signs at the lake that have been in place prior to the current blooms warn visitors of the risks of algal blooms, cautioning that contact with affected water can cause skin rashes, vomiting and diarrhoea.
It also warns the blooms can be toxic to dogs and other animals and advises farmers and dog owners to prevent their dogs from drinking or swimming in the affected water.
In a statement to The Journal, ESB said that it “places signs at all public entrances to Poulaphouca reservoir warning of the potential for, and risks associated with, algal blooms which are a natural phenomenon”.
“The reservoir is a significant water body with a large perimeter, localised patches of algal bloom can appear and disappear very rapidly on the reservoir due to prevailing weather conditions.”
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And no doubt the tiger will be destroyed through no fault of his own. Zoos are awful places
I don’t think it would be standard practice to put the animal down in such a case.
I don’t understand why they can’t fire a dart and put the animal to sleep each time they’re going in to clean its enclosure. Perhaps the darts are expensive but how much does a human life cost?
Perth Zoo in Australia is the only zoo in the world that has a program for breeding and introducing Orang-utans back into the wild. Mates there are some terrible zoos with poor conditions but the good zoos are vital for conservation and the survival of endangered species.
I think that might take a toll on the animals health. It’s the equivalent of a general anaesthetic.
But I would have thought they’d at least shut the animal up in a separate part of its enclosure from the area being cleaned.
Tigers are endangered and, despite being caged, it’s still a wild animal. They’re not going to kill it ffs.
They won’t kill it – it was doing what wild animals do. There was clearly a failure of usual health & safety procedures. It’s eerily similar to what happened in South Lakes Zoo in the UK a couple of years back.
That’s amazing, the second one in a week or so. You’d think people would be more careful in such a dangerous job.
I had a dream last night that I was being stalked by a pride of lions and now this.
I’m going to be real nice to the cat.
The lions represent the FG and labour party stalking you and hunting you down. you need to confront them
OMG
These big animals should be roaming the wilds with their families and not locked up in zoos.
We used to bring the kids to the zoo to see the animals as a matter of education and a good day out.
No need anymore as you can see them up close and personal now in the wonderful nature documentaries!
If they were in the wild they’d be dead. Sad but true.
They would all be grand if humans had left them alone!
Was “#mauled” really necessary for the article?
What else are you going to call it. It’s the right word.
It’s certainly an appropriate word for what happened the ‘boks yesterday.
Smiley, they’re referring to the use of the hashtag #mauled, not the word itself.
People go on about dublin zoo.how great it is etc. Went last week with young daughter for first time in 20 years. Was appalling the size of their enclosure especially the Tigers. Will never set foot in another zoo
Another gruesome case of tiger gang violence in southern hemisphere zoos. It’s a similar scenario to human prisons where gang members, eager to earn their stripes and zoo cred callously attack zoo screws often resulting in death and back slashing.
The Tigers have rights. A dirty protest and hunger strike usually works.
This tiger was a dissident tiger and was in way connected with republicanism.
Another one.
Sure most zoo animals suffer from depression.fact. dublin zoo or any other zoo are no better than them in SeaWorld. Low life’s making millions out of suffering of animals
WHere is the outrage and the mass protests?
They will have to demolish the enclosure because the place will become haunted.
have your say