Minister asked for report on coast and waterways

Minister asked for report on coast and waterways

25 September 2024

A STORMONT minister has been asked to provide a health report on the district’s waterways and coastal waters.

The appeal comes after the publication of a recent damning independent report which highlighted the failure of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to meet its environmental obligations.

South Down MLA Colin McGrath has asked the minister in charge of the department, Andrew Muir, to provide the waterways health report.

Mr McGrath said issues with rivers, lakes and coastal waters across the country are becoming increasingly more apparent.

And there have been a series of worrying issues locally with the most recent just a few weeks ago when a potentially toxic algae was discovered in Castlewellan Lake.

Newry, Mourne and Down Council and the Environment Agency reported the discovery of the notorious blue-green algae in the lake at the forest park which led to the cancellation of part of a triathlon and a warning to local animal and livestock owners.

Potentially lethal to pets and harmful to humans, with its visible scum on the water’s surface, this discovery has led to a warning not come into contact with the algae.

Last summer, sea swimmers were banned from the water in Newcastle after the discovery of elevated levels of the E.coli bug which posed a major risk to public health.

The discovery of the bacteria — which can cause vomitting and diarrhoea — was made on what was one of the hottest days of the year during regular testing by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.

In addition to vomit and diarrhoea, Ecoli can also lead to stomach pains and cramps. In worst case scenarios, the bug can lead to kidney failure if not properly managed.

Posters were erected along the promenade and at the harbour warning people not to enter the water, with the swimming ban in place for 24 hours.

Ecoli and the presence of intestinal enterococci, which indicates the presence of faecal material,  was linked to Newcastle’s sewage treatment plant located at the harbour.

But Northern Ireland Water insisted that the discovery of the bacteria was not related to the facility.

Politicians expressed concern that the harmful bugs were discovered at the height of the bathing season and when Newcastle was bursting at the seams with people making the most of the glorious weather.

Mr McGrath said issues in relation to water quality and the safety of those who use waterways have been highlighted by elected representatives from across the entire political spectrum have for many years.

“It is unfortunate that they have remained unresolved and it is clearly an issue which the Executive must address,” he declared. “That requires an honest appraisal of the current state of play and joined up efforts between government departments. In South Down, we have witnessed multiple issues around the water quality in Newcastle and at Downpatrick’s Quoile River in particular.”

Mr McGrath said the Office for Environmental Protection recently published its report into a review of implementation of the water framework directive regulations and river basin management planning. 

“While the report title is a bit of a mouthful, it does lay bare that DAERA is not on track to meet its environmental objectives, to bring 70% of the water bodies to a good standard by 2027,” he said.

“Given that the target was missed in 2021, DAERA decided to extend its missed target to 2027 but even with this, it is unlikely to make the target as most recent reports show that only 31% of our water bodies are in good ecological condition.”

Mr McGrath confirmed he has written to Mr Muir to determine status of all South Down’s water bodies as “it’s information the public need to know”.

He added: “We need to see leadership from the Minister on this and work across the NI Executive. Unfortunately, matters like this really expose the position the silo mentality of the past has left us in.”