Cooper's Comments 2

If the Shannon and surrounding waterways are to be saved from environmental extinction we believe action needs to be taken now at governmental level. The sale of phosphate based fertilizer in our opinion should be brought under strict control and should only be issued under government license. Recently Mayo council have sought to ban general sale of phosphate based fertilizer and this society commends them.

We are told that water quality is the direct responsibility of the local council through which a water course flows. A recent report in a national daily newspaper (The Sun 25 Nov 2000) gives me food for thought. It reports a farmer in the Cork area narrowly avoided jail and was fined £800 for allowing pollution to enter the Owencurra river, which feeds the town of Midleton with its drinking water. The pollution not only contaminated drinking water, but killed 1000 fish.

Judge Pattwell presiding over the case declared, "the water people are drinking is being polluted and I want to know what's being done about it". Finding the farmer guilty, Judge Pattwell then declared, "the law is there for everybody to abide by". Interesting statement that.....it leads me to ask the question, who brings who to book and who prosecutes who? I can't recall any case where a government body had been prosecuted for water pollution. In many cases government bodies can be the worst polluters of all. Is there a law for one and a law for another? Not according to Judge Pattwell there isn't.

Very shortly I shall be contacting various local councils who we know are habitual polluters. I will report their replies to you......if any. Also on a recent survey our society discovered another unwanted element (formaldehyde) in the Shannon, between the top end of Lough Boderg and Drumsna. At this stage, where it is coming from remains to be seen.

Watch for further reports form me in the very near future.

Geoff Cooper
P.R.O.

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