Vol. 502 No. 3
473 Mr. Higgins (Dublin West) asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands if her Department has given permission for the ongoing dredging, removal and sale of sand from State property designated as a proposed special area of conservation at Lough Gill, Castlegregory, County Kerry; and, if so, if he will make available any study made of the impact of this activity on the ecology of the lough. [7600/99]
Lough Gill is part of the Tralee Bay proposed special area of conservation and in recent years it has been subject to algal blooms due to eutrophication. In the context of a number of proposed measures to improve the quality of the water, local staff of Dúchas indicated that they would not object to a proposal for the limited removal of sand from the shallow end of lake. Such removal of sand could facilitate improved flushing of the lake which could in turn improve the water quality.
