Seanad Éireann debate -
Thursday, 11 Nov 1999

Vol. 160 No. 15

Lough Ree Report and Water Quality in the Shannon Estuary: Statements.

Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources (Dr. Woods)

The lakes and rivers of Ireland constitute an invaluable national resource. They are used as a supply of good quality drinking water, as aquatic habitats, centres for tourism and recreational activities and they are part of the natural beauty of the landscape of the country which makes Ireland an attractive place in which to live and holiday.

As with any natural resource our lakes and rivers must be respected in order that they will remain in the state which nature intended. As we are all too aware, the quality of the water in our lakes and rivers is under strain from the loading of pollutants which find their way, directly or indirectly, into the surface watercourses. The Report of the Environmental Protection Agency on Water Quality in Ireland, 1995-1997, shows that over the past decade the length of river classified as unpolluted has dropped from 77 per cent to 67 per cent and that this is attributed in the main to nutrient enrichment or eutrophication.

In particular, the nutrient phosphorus is thought to be a major contributor to the problem of eutrophication. During the 1995-7 period, 120 lakes were surveyed with seven being assessed as slightly polluted, 11 moderately polluted and five seriously polluted. The report states that in the majority of these lakes the principal sources of the nutrient are thought to be non-point discharges of agricultural origin. As I am sure the House is aware, the EPA report identifies Lough Ree as one of the lakes suffering badly from eutrophication. The report concluded that the overall condition of Irish waters remains satisfac tory and compares favourably with the position in other European countries. This is mainly a reflection of the relatively low population density and still moderately developed agricultural and industrial sectors. However, I share the view that the decline in the quality of the river system indicates that the present level of water pollution control needs to be reviewed.

As part of my remit for the management and development of fisheries, I regard the protection of lakes and rivers from pollution from any source as absolutely essential. A number of agencies are involved in the enforcement of water quality protection measures in inland waterways in Ireland, including the local authorities, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Central and Regional Fisheries Boards, for which my Department has responsibility. Each of these agencies has an important role to play. In particular the fisheries boards play a pivotal role. They have strong powers of enforcement under the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act, 1959, regularly prosecute offenders for pollution incidents, including local authorities, and are very focused on maintaining high water quality in order to protect the aquatic habitat, in particular for salmonids.

To deliver a strong public service focused on water quality, upon taking office I put in train a six point action plan on water quality management which is designed to ensure that the resources of the fisheries boards and of the relevant agencies are co-ordinated and deployed to best effect to deal with water pollution by tackling its causes at source and acting swiftly when it occurs. These measures include a mobile emergency response unit under the direction of the central board, a review of inland fisheries pollution prevention and response strategies and the production of guidelines on best practice, a code of practice between the farming organisations and the fisheries board to be prepared, an inland fisheries forum to be established under the aegis of the central board to facilitate and ensure regular co-ordination and information exchange on all water quality issues as they impact on fish life and habitats, current penalties to be reviewed to ensure maximum deterrent effect and investment to upgrade the specialist laboratory services and equipment available to the fisheries boards.

There has been considerable progress on the implementation of my action plan by the fisheries boards. The boards have worked assiduously to improve dialogue and co-operation between them and the other relevant State agencies as well as the farming organisations. Many agencies are involved in dealing with the pollution problem. A code of practice by the Irish Farmers Association on silage effluent control and phosphorus usage has been published and a further general code of practice between the farming organisations and the fisheries boards is in the final stages of preparation. I congratulate the IFA on taking this initiative, which we encouraged. I have provided funding to the fisheries boards to employ a team of environmental officers who have been deployed in surveying river stretches with a history of pollution incidents and liaising with farmers to encourage and assist them to prevent pollution. I approved the appointment by the Central Fisheries Board of an environmental and catchment management co-ordinator to drive and co-ordinate delivery of the water quality action plan. One of the priority tasks of the co-ordinator is to ensure the effectiveness of the emergency response arrangements now in place.

My colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, is also working to ensure that the present arrangements in relation to water quality management will be further improved under Cohesion Fund financed monitoring and management systems for Lough Derg and Lough Ree. This major EU-funded programme covers the Shannon and all its tributaries from its source north of Lough Allen to Killaloe, south of Lough Derg. Significant investment amounting to over £48 million has been allocated to upgrade sewerage networks and waste water treatment plants, including phosphate removal, at the main population centres. Under this programme a monitoring and management system has been established for the catchment. Consultants have been appointed to this project and a budget in excess of £2 million has been allocated to establishing the system. A steering group, on which the Department of the Environment and Local Government, the two lead county councils, Clare and Roscommon, the Central Fisheries Board, the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board and the Environmental Protection Agency are represented, is overseeing the project.

A second interim report has been prepared on behalf of the Lough Derg and Lough Ree catchment management group and this report identifies a range of sources – sewage, agriculture, peat milling and industry – contributing to the pollution of rivers and lakes in the Lough Derg and Lough Ree catchment. The report makes a range of recommendations regarding improvements at specific installations, by-laws to be made under the Water Pollution Acts and nutrient management planning in selected areas. It is envisaged the recommendations of the report will inform the approach to be adopted by the various agencies dealing with water quality in the catchment.

Another important development in our fight against water pollution has been the Local Government (Water Pollution) Act, 1977, (Water Quality Standards for Phosphorus) Regulations, 1998. The main provisions of these regulations include: that no further deterioration in the quality of lakes and rivers is allowed; to provide for specified improvements in water quality conditions in polluted rivers and lakes based on phosphorus concentrations or related water quality classifications within a ten year timeframe; and the requirement on local authorities and the EPA to take all such steps to secure compliance in the exercise of their functions under the Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts and the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992. As Minister with responsibility for inland fisheries I place the utmost importance on the achievement of the targets set out in the regulations.

The catchment management approach represents the best method of managing our inland waterways resource. Catchment management is an innovative approach which deserves the commitment and energies of all the relevant State agencies and other stakeholders. Incorporating the themes of subsidiarity, consensus, inclusiveness and empowerment, it offers the potential for a truly holistic approach to be developed for the management of the inland fisheries resource. No other approach would be effective.

In order to progress this approach the central and regional fisheries boards have, under my direction, been promoting the preparation of plans for six pilot catchment management projects. I envisage that the experience of these pilot projects will inform and reinforce the development of a national strategy for catchment management. As with the Lough Derg and Lough Ree system the use of geographical information systems, the GIS, provides the necessary technical data to enable the effective implementation of catchment management strategies. In this regard, I recently had the honour of launching the GIS for the Moy catchment.

The proposed EU framework directive on water policy also presents a major opportunity and challenge to address water management on a comprehensive basis. It proposes the establishment of river basin districts and the development of water management plans to address, for example, water quality and resources and the protection of ecosystems in all waters, including rivers, lakes, estuarine and coastal waters and groundwater. As with the catchment management approach, the proposed framework is to be based on the natural unit for the management of water, that is the river basin.

In preparation for the adoption of the directive there have been discussions between my Department, the Department of the Environment and Local Government and the fisheries boards. Within the overall framework I will be ensuring that the fisheries element, with its emphasis on the protection of aquatic ecosystems, is properly represented. It is important to bear in mind that the presence of fish life – in particular, salmonids – is perhaps the most accurate barometer of the health of the rivers and lakes. I have taken a very strong view on this aspect, even though we are only one of the participants concerned. If fish can live in such areas it is a good start, but if they cannot do so we are in serious trouble.

As part of the ongoing process of dialogue and review between my Department and the fisheries boards, I recently had the opportunity of meeting delegations from the Northern Regional Fisheries Board and the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board. A common theme of these discussions has been the problem of eutrophication of waterways, in particular lakes. These two fisheries regions contain within them many of the lakes which are most severely affected by eutrophication, including Lough Oughter, Lough Sheelin, Lough Derg and Lough Ree. The boards have highlighted for me the resource and regulatory implications for measures to assist in tackling eutrophication. Arising from these meetings I have asked my officials to examine proposals put to me by the boards with a view to ensuring that resources are properly focused on tackling the root causes of eutrophication. However, it is clear that the solution does not lie solely within my remit. My colleagues, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, also have key roles to play.

My overall objective is to seek new ways of ensuring that a cohesive approach is developed to deal with the problem of eutrophication. Such an approach must address both the acute problems being encountered at present and the longer-term imperative of educating and informing all the players in patterns of behaviour which will allow for the sustainable development of the inland waterways resource.

I take this opportunity to refer to the Fisheries (Amendment) Bill which I published last week. I intend to bring the legislation before this House as quickly as possible. The Bill provides a comprehensive blueprint for inland fisheries into the new millennium. My overall objective in these legislative changes is to modernise, clarify and enhance the roles of the central and regional fisheries boards. The proposals in the Bill will ensure greater local responsibility and accountability in the management and development of inland fisheries. I am placing greater emphasis on devolution and subsidiarity, thus giving more management control and accountability locally. It is imperative that local communities take responsibility for the management and development of their fisheries resource, including playing their part in assisting in tackling threats to the resource such as water pollution. It is for this reason that I propose that the regional boards will be specifically charged with responsibility to promote and co-ordinate the development of inland fisheries catchment management plans, in consultation with local authorities and other interested bodies and organisations. I have already stressed the importance of the catchment approach to tackling problems on a holistic basis and the clear remit which the Bill provides for regional boards will be critical as a mechanism in helping to tackle water quality issues into the future.

I commend to the House the actions that have been taken.

Mr. Caffrey

Much of what is now being proposed should have been done years ago. In debating this issue we could make hasty generalisations, saying that pollution is the price we are paying for progress. However, if all the measures outlined by the Minister had been implemented long ago, we would not have had to pay that price. In his speech the Minister named the four lakes worst affected by pollution as Lough Oughter, Lough Sheelin, Lough Derg and Lough Ree. These lakes were not polluted overnight; the eutrophication affecting them has been evident for years but, unfortunately, nothing was done about it. A few years ago, Mayo County Council – the monitoring body for the Moy catchment, which includes Lough Conn and the Moy estuary – took measures when it was seen that eutrophication was developing rapidly. As a result of those measures there has been a substantial reduction in the level of eutrophication in Lough Conn and the Moy catchment area generally. The result is that fish are now returning to Lough Conn and to the River Moy. Last year, Lough Conn had the best fishing season for many years. This is much appreciated by angling and tourism interests in the catchment area because the spin off for tourism is enormous. Freshwater lakes such as Lough Conn, Lough Sheelin, Lough Corrib and others which have plenty of fish are a priceless national asset which must be protected at all costs. Any measures which can be introduced to identify ongoing eutrophication should be encouraged.

The many causes of pollution have been repeated many times. Farmers are often blamed as a result of the intensification of agricultural methods and effluent from leaky silage pits. These are factors in the overall picture, but aspects have been blown out of proportion in relation to the pollution of rivers and lakes. One of these is the overemphasis by planning authorities on domestic developments in lakeside areas. In many counties there is virtually a blanket ban on housing developments adjacent to rivers and lakes. The inland fisheries boards are to the forefront in this regard and they are receiving much flak for objecting to planning applications in these areas. It is a cause of considerable annoyance and loss to people who live in such areas and who want to build family homes. As a result of the overemphasis on the potential for pollution, they find an almost blanket ban on developments in lakeside areas.

The effect of domestic waste in the process of eutrophication has not been fully ascertained. The need to strike a balance between pollution control and the need for housing is important. Planning authorities should recognise that factor and perhaps a study should be undertaken to identify the extent of pollution from this source. I believe it is overemphasised by planning authorities and that it contributes negligibly to the overall level of pollution in lakes and rivers while the major cause of pollution is not being tackled at all. The easy option for planning authorities is to refuse permission for simple houses near lakes on the basis that they would cause pollution. This is the wrong approach to take.

In the context of rural development, there is a need to sustain rural communities and to develop housing so that families can have houses located near the family home. In County Mayo last week, three separate applications for family houses were refused on the basis that they would be a potential cause of pollution and a danger to a lake. However, at the same time, the town of Crossmolina which has a population of 1,600 people on the register is discharging raw sewage into Lough Conn. This is the type of anomaly which exists at present. Such cases need to be identified and addressed. The sewage from Crossmolina which is going into Lough Conn is 100 times worse than anything which could possibly result from a domestic dwelling near the lake.

Tax incentives should be considered to help people in rural areas in relation to the problem of effluent from septic tanks. There are proprietary systems which virtually eliminate all phosphorus and deleterious matter from sewage. The result would cause no harm to anybody. However, such systems cost between £4,000 and £5,000 and people will not install them if they do not have to do so under planning conditions. There should be a tax incentive for everybody in rural Ireland to encourage them to install such systems and thereby eliminate pollution from domestic waste. Incidental items such as household detergents also enter the system, but they are a minor factor in the overall picture. A grant system or tax incentive should be created to help people in rural Ireland to overcome these problems.

There is an increasing need for houses in rural Ireland but there will not be sewerage schemes at every crossroads or village in the next 100 years. We must plan an alternative which will not cause pollution or interrupt the planning process and cause great hardship, as the current system is doing, to many families in rural areas who want to build a family home or a holiday home. I have nothing against people building holiday homes but they are finding it impossible to do so now in scenic areas.

Farmers are usually cited as the main source of pollution. The Minister identified effluent from the farming sector as a major contributor to the problem. However, farmers are becoming increasingly aware and they realise that the amount of fertiliser used on their land was excessive. In the past they had no idea when to use it and if they thought it was likely to rain, they would put it out to ensure much of it was washed into the land. That was the idea, but instead it washed into rivers. Such aspects are changing and Teagasc and its advisers are contributing to those changes. This is reflected in the improving results in the Moy catchment area in particular. It is great that Lough Conn, which was experiencing eutrophication, has been restored to pristine condition in terms of the water quality which existed for thousands of years.

In recent years, one of the great barometers of eutrophication was the disappearance of ancient fish. The char is one of the oldest fish but it disappeared from Lough Conn in the last decade. People wondered why it disappeared and whether it was due to eutrophication and phosphorus enrichment in the lake. These barometers should be taken on board. Such conditions did not appear in lakes overnight. Fish started to disappear on a gradual basis and it should have been obvious to the powers that be that this process was under way and drastic measures were needed to stem it. I am glad a conscious effort is being made now to deal with it and that the Minister introduced the GIS to the Moy catchment area. Pollution knows and accepts no geographical boundaries.

Bord na Móna operations were another source of pollution referred to briefly in the Minister's speech. Bord na Móna owns or works some 20,000 acres of peatland. Milled peat harvesting and the run-off from milled peat have a serious impact on rivers and lakes, especially in wet conditions and in heavy rainfall. The discolouration alone that occurs in rivers after a huge rainfall in the peat milling areas is most obnoxious, even to look at. The tailing-ponds that Bord na Móna introduced early in its operations are now archaic and those that I have seen in past years are not at all up to the standard needed for controlling run-off from the milled peat areas. It is a stop-gap effort and, as a State agency, it should be more concerned with run-off from its milled peat areas and its contribution to this problem of pollution.

One of the other factors that needs to be examined is that while we have set up a monitoring body in the Moy catchment area on a voluntary basis, and it is doing great work, it is totally underfunded. No voluntary or other organisation can operate without funds This monitoring body was one of the first to identify some of the problems being encountered in the Moy catchment area. They did great work with very limited resources. The Minister should consider some type of funding for those bodies with this altruistic philosophy which are attempting to identify areas of pollution in our lakes and rivers.

I referred previously to small towns that currently have no sewage treatment works. Kiltimagh in County Mayo, which is on the banks of the River Moy, is discharging effluent into the river. Sewage treatment is badly needed there. It is very urgently needed in Crossmolina, which is discharging into Lough Conn. They are the main towns that are contributing to pollution. Currently there are measures to operate plants in some of those towns and treatment areas but nevertheless we have still a plethora of smaller towns such as Bunniconlon, which has been waiting for a sewage treatment scheme for the past 100 years. It is hard to imagine that 150 years ago there were eight million people living on this island. There were no sewerage facilities at all, yet the lakes and rivers were totally unpolluted. It is an irony of our time, and possibly reiterates my opening remark, that pollution is possibly the price we are paying for progress. It is not the price we need to pay or that we should be paying.

The Minister raised many measures that I am sure will address some of the problems in the worst areas. The Moy catchment is the area about which I am particularly concerned, even though one would also have to be concerned about our waters on a national basis. From a parochial point of view I urge that all possible steps be taken in the Moy catchment area to continue the improvement taking place to restore Lough Conn to its condition 20 or 30 years ago. I hope that these monitoring committees and Mayo County Council, the statutory body entrusted with monitoring the entire catchment area, will continue to be ever vigilant in ensuring that no further eutrophication occurs and that the improvement will continue in some of those rivers and lakes.

I ask the Minister to examine some of the suggestions I raised on using the taxation system to improve the situation still further. We can use the taxation system in other areas as in rundown inner city areas where urban renewal incentives have been used to great effect. It could be used also in pollution control to achieve greater results. I urge the Minister to focus particularly on the planning element of this ongoing pollution problem and the pre-occupation, maybe the obsession, that planning authorities have that the single domestic dwelling is a major contributor to pollution in lakes and rivers. I do not believe it is a major contributor. It is a very minor player and the planning authorities are going over the top in relating it to the serious pollution which is occurring. Planning authorities should take a new look and try to ascertain scientifically the domestic contribution to pollution in lakes and rivers.

Mr. Finneran

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Woods, to the House. While our debate today was to be on the water quality of the Lough Ree catchment, I am very impressed by his contribution which covered inland waterways generally. The amount of research contributed to this debate by him and his Department is more than I had expected and I compliment him on it. It is a very informative document and goes far beyond what was intended for our debate. It is very welcome. It covers not only the present position but also future legislation. What impresses me most is that the Minister seems to say that, rather than holding a big stick over any community, he wants local communities themselves to accept responsibilities in their own areas. This is the way of progress. Too often in the past we have had somebody, either in Europe or at national Government level, telling people what they can and cannot do. I am very impressed by the content of the proposals he has put forward and I compliment him.

For a number of years as a local authority member and an Oireachtas Member, I have had very serious concerns about the pollution of the River Shannon and its tributaries and the deterioration of the water quality in that catchment area. For approximately ten years I have been highlighting this problem. I have spoken at length, both at local authority level and at public meetings, at conferences and in this House. I have highlighted this issue at every opportunity on any legislation that affected waterways or local authorities in the midlands.

Some two years ago, with my colleagues on Roscommon County Council, we were successful in getting a management study done of Lough Ree and the catchment area of the Shannon. I thank Clare County Council for supporting that initiative from Roscommon County Council. Subsequently we received support from the then Minister for the Environmentment who gave £2 million towards that study.

Today we have what is now known as the second interim report on the River Shannon and the quality of its water and that of its tributaries. It is the most damning report possible which shows our total neglect and our abuse of one of the finest waterways in Europe, the River Shannon. We have destroyed it, under a number of headings. We have allowed it to be used without maintenance as an outfall and I stressed that in this House when we were dealing with the arterial drainage legislation. There is no maintenance programme on the River Shannon. We have used this fine river as an outfall for all our waste over hundreds of years, but in particular in the past 50 years a huge amount of waste has been allowed to enter the River Shannon under all the headings of local authority sewerage schemes, farming activity, industrial activity and tourism activity. All that has been allowed to flow gradually into that main channel without anybody ever taking cognisance of the fact that that same channel has been without maintenance through the years. Were we so foolish as to think that the channel could absorb and get rid of all that waste over all those years without anybody putting as much as £1 into its maintenance? Surely that could not continue.

It was on that basis that I pressed so hard, at Roscommon County Council and at a public level over many years, to highlight the fact that we were destroying one of our finest assets and amenities. The second interim report of the consultancy firm under the authorship of Brady, Shipman and Martin has clearly identified that we have destroyed that fine amenity. The sooner the better we realise and accept what we have done because I have already found different interests, whether they be industries, farmers or local authorities, saying that they are not responsible, that they are only partly responsible, that they are responsible only for insignificant amounts, or that they believe that others are responsible for this. I want to state clearly that everybody is responsible for ignoring what has become a reality. The seven or eight local authorities adjacent to this river must accept responsibility, the farming community, Bord na Móna, draining and developing its 100,000 acres and using the river as an outflow, and the tourism industry, with its boats travelling up and down the Shannon and not using any of the pump-out stations. The sooner all those groups accept the responsibility, the sooner we might get down to doing something about this very serious problem.

At this stage, there is another component to this problem and that is our Government. We allow all the fertiliser, household detergent and other modern pharmaceutical product manufacturers to use phosphate bases. Everybody knows that the proliferation of phosphate in our rivers is destroying them. We are now spending millions of pounds – in my county we have approximately £24 or £25 million worth of sewerage schemes being installed – to address, to some extent, the problems that local authorities are causing, but why are those sewerage schemes so expensive? One reason is that we must include a phospherous stripping mechanism in our sewage treatment systems. We allow these components to go into detergents and other concoctions and install systems to remove them at a later stage. Would it not be far more practical for the Government to ban their use? Why, at this stage, would three Departments not get together and say it is inappropriate that these products should be used in fertilisers and detergents and that we will legislate against it?

We in Roscommon County Council have already imposed a restriction on one tourism outlet in the county which is not allowed to use phosphate-based products or concoctions in which phosphate is included. Why can that not be done on a national basis? I call today on some people in Government, not necessarily the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr. Woods, who is here today, but other Ministers, to consider seriously imposing a ban, or at least a limit, on the use of phosphates in all components or concoctions used in the agricultural field or even in the household sink. They are all contributing to the destruction of our finest waterway, the River Shannon and its tributaries.

I have listened to Senator Caffrey and I compliment him. He speaks about other rivers and sees a problem with the rivers in County Mayo. I am sure that other Senators will speak later about the destruction of rivers in their areas. I am glad that the input by the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr. Woods, to this debate has broadened its scope beyond Lough Ree, the Shannon and its tributaries. It is now a national debate and I am pleased about that because it will get a greater exposure at local authorities, in the other House and nationally and I would like to see this debate continue.

I will go through some of the areas which have contributed to this problem and I will pull no punches on this because everybody is responsible. Our local authorities, seven of which are along the banks of the Shannon, have contributed enormously to the problem. They have allowed untreated sewage, or sewage treated only at first or second stage, to go into the main channel of our river. That has increased dramatically the phospherous and phosphate level in the main channel. Bord na Móna, which has 100,000 acres nationally with possibly 60,000 or 70,000 acres in the catchment area of the River Shannon, has used all its tributaries as outfalls for its drainage works. It has put down silt ponds, which are window dressing, and are not competent to deal with the situation any time we have flooding. Eventually, all that drainage winds up in the main channel of the River Shannon and anybody who takes out a boat to Meelick today or through the weir in Athlone or at Carrick-on-Shannon will see the massive build-up of silt along our river.

Over all the years that this has been happening not one Government Department or public body has thought it worth its while to take out as much as one shovel of silt. Nobody is responsible for the River Shannon or its main tributaries. Many interested bodies behave as independent republics in dealing with and protecting their interests, but there is nobody to protect the Shannon. When the Minister introduces further legislation it should include a Shannon authority. I know he would have to stretch across many Departments to get agreement but we need someone to take an interest in protecting the Shannon and its tributaries.

Teagasc and other bodies tell farmers that they can drain this or that, they can use nitrogen at a certain time of the year to get their second or third cut of silage and they can put out so many tonnes per acre – great advice. Then when it rains for a week it is washed into the drains, tributaries and it winds up in the channel. We tell them to build big slatted houses, spread manure on their land and after a night's rain it winds up in the drains, the tributaries and eventually in the channel.

The tourism industry is being told that the Shannon can take more boats. There are marinas everywhere and I got funding for some of them. How many local authorities along the Shannon have pump-out stations? The Shannon runs adjacent to my county, from Athlone, Shannon Bridge to Carrick-on-Shannon and how many pump out stations exist? How many are there in Westmeath, Longford, north Tipperary?

Ms O'Meara

Several, but they are not open.

Mr. Finneran

Where does all the effluent go from barges and boats? It goes into the main channel. I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on this matter today because I have been ten years knocking on this door. This is my first practical and public opportunity to highlight the destruction which has been carried out on one of our finest rivers. If nothing else comes from today's debate, I hope it highlights what people, through ignorance and a lack of care – call it what you will – have done to the River Shannon and its tributaries.

I was a member of the Consultative Council of the European Commission for almost four years and I travelled extensively through the European mainland. I was amazed—

Mr. Connor

The Senator did not tell us that before.

Mr. Finneran

The Senator is not a bad traveller himself.

Mr. Connor

I am not denying it.

Mr. Finneran

The Senator even goes to further lands.

Mr. Connor

I might have beaten the Senator but I am not denying it.

Mr. Finneran

The Senator is the better for it.

Mr. Connor

The Senator should proceed. What he has to say is very interesting.

Mr. Finneran

There is nothing wrong with broadening one's horizons.

An Cathaoirleach

I would be obliged if Members would keep to statements.

Mr. O'Toole

People in mainland counties are interested in the rest of the world.

Mr. Finneran

The Senator is a regular visitor and I am sure he appreciates the hospitality that we provide.

Mr. O'Toole

I certainly do.

Mr. Finneran

Certainly down in the Hodson Bay. When the Senator moves his boat up he always goes to the pump-out station. I have no doubt he is that type of person.

I was taken aback during my travels at the level of the destruction of forests, rivers and habitats generally around Europe. At all the meetings I attended people talked about getting back what they had previously and about reversing the destruction that had been done. At that time we had not destroyed everything and I felt that we should protect what we had. We are now talking about getting back to what we had in the River Shannon.

The consultants who produced this report told me that even if we were to stop the destruction today it would take ten years to reverse the damage. We have a proliferation of zebra mussels up to the main channel and perhaps it will not be long before they are in the tributaries. There is the destruction of ancient species of fish; there is none left in our channels although they were natural to that area. We will not be able to reverse it all.

We should stop the destruction today. We should accept that the damage is done and we should not blame any organisation or one another. We are all to blame. The damage has been done but we should start correcting it. If we do not do so, the next generation will think that for an educated and an enlightened people – which we are supposed to be – we had very little respect for what was given to us. If we continue as at present we will hand down to the next generation a greatly diminished natural amenity.

Mr. O'Toole

I am delighted to welcome the Minister to the House on this issue. It is one on which I have been pressing for a debate for many months and, indeed, it has been discussed under a number of different headings.

All the speeches to date, and indeed the Minister's, have shown the need for an overarching body to deal with the issues. All Members have said clearly that we are dealing with up to ten local authorities, perhaps 11, with the inclusion of Cavan and Kerry, who have an interest in the River Shannon. I have given up counting how many Government Departments are involved. There is the Minister's Department; the Departments of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands; Agriculture, Food and Rural Development; Environment and Local Government; Tourism, Sport and Recreation; and Finance. It goes through ten or 11 local authorities, five or six Government Departments and involves some of the largest of the semi-State bodies such as Bord na Móna, the ESB, a huge number of industries, a large amount of domestic housing in the ribbon development along the river, apart from urban areas. There is also the impact of agriculture.

The bottom line was written this year by Roscommon and Westmeath County Councils when they had to erect signs on beautiful Lough Ree, the king of lakes, stating, "This water is too dangerous for swimming and bathing." Anyone with a love of nature and of the waterways would find that appalling. We have seen this deterioration over a number of years and it is worsening. We have the reports in front of us – I will not go into their detail – but a picture is clearly emerging. There is a huge responsibility on local authorities for not having tertiary treatment or, in many cases, any treatment of effluent flowing into the waterway.

There is a huge responsibility on agriculture to ensure it manages the effluent and the phosphates from its industry. There is also a huge responsibility on industries, domestic housing and those involved leisure activities. All those groups have a role to play. Nobody is playing the role properly. I use the Shannon River in many different ways but mainly as a leisure area for boating. A question has been asked about pump-out stations. I went to much expense to get a boat with a holding tank – a rare thing in the Shannon these days. To try to get a pump-out station to pump out the boat effluent is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. A number of them can be found but usually they do not work. I cannot say how many effective pump-out stations are along the river at the moment. I know where they are located but either they have not been com missioned in the first place or they have been commissioned but are not in operation. Only very few of them work consistently which is appalling.

A combination of personal responsibility and regulation is required and this can only be achieved by having one body responsible for everything. I appeal to the Minister to introduce legislation for a Shannon river council, a concept which was sponsored by his party on many occasions in the past. What is emerging here this morning is that no one is pointing the finger at the Government of the day. This issue has developed over the years. We are all responsible for not having managed the problem up to now and, for that reason, we should endeavour to get things right from now on. A Shannon river council with regulatory authority could insist that the management of phosphates and waste and the protection of the waterway was carried out in an efficient and effective manner.

We are dealing with ten local authorities and it is not much use if counties such as Clare and Tipperary manage to get their act together while the counties bordering the upper stretches of the river do nothing. If raw sewage is allowed to flow into the upper reaches of the river, the precautions taken on the lower stretches will have very little impact. The same applies in relation to agriculture. Time and again I have seen cuttings into farm areas and one can actually see and smell farm effluent while travelling along the river. It is extraordinary given the volume of water in the river that one can smell the effluent. It is appalling. I saw young children in Athlone swimming right beside signs which read "swimming is dangerous". I must admit that I swam at least three times out in the middle of the lake in the hope of avoiding the worst excesses of the pollution.

Anyone watching the river in recent times can see the impact of zebra mussels. Ironically, the first impact of zebra mussels is welcome because they have cleaned up the water and I have never seen the River Shannon so clear. At times during the summer it was possible to look down ten feet to the bottom, which has not been the case for many years. However, what the lay person cannot see looking at the clean water is that this is damaging the whole eco-system and eco-balance of the lakes. No one knows where this will end. The zebra mussels can be seen. During the summer, I saw boats and jetties covered in zebra mussels. The walls of the two locks on the Ardnacrusha system are literally inches deep with zebra mussels. Senator Finneran made the point that it would not be long until they are in the tributaries – they are already in the tributaries. We must take control of this if the natural beauty of the River Shannon is to be protected. The beauty of the river and the fishing and leisure activities which are part of this are being destroyed. During a pike fishing competition in Banagher this year not one pike was found in the river.

Senator Finneran was correct with regard to the boating industry. Every boat on the river should be required to have a holding tank which operates and is used effectively. The Shannon should be a place to swim and enjoy water activities but I do not see that happening.

The interim report identified a range of sources which are causing problems such as sewage, agriculture the peat milling industry and others. It might also have mentioned domestic users. There is a tax efficient way to address this problem by using a tax bias. It has been done already in another sphere when ten years ago when a taxation system on petrol was introduced which was biased in favour of unleaded petrol. This could be done in regard to the use of eco-friendly detergents. There are plenty of these products available but they are more expensive. It is a practical measure which could be taken. It is difficult to find shops along the river which stock eco-friendly detergents such as washing up liquid. They are very few. One cannot blame shopkeepers because they are not aware of this problem. People need to be educated to understand the need to take action.

We need to consider a number of steps that need to be taken rapidly. We must ensure that all farms have a nutrient management plan. I agree with previous speakers that this debate is not about finding a culprit or pointing the finger. If any of us happened to live along the river we might be guilty. Boat owners are as guilty as everyone else. We need to ensure that farms have a nutrient and waste management system, particularly intensive farming such as pig farming, poultry farming and so on. We must ensure that the rural environment protection scheme is promoted along the river and its tributaries. If one were to take away the main channel, the waterways and the areas they drain there would be very little of Ireland left. Add to that the Erne system and the Barrow and it is evident that the quality of life and water throughout the State is involved. Soil fertility and fertilisation must be understood and managed. This must be done in an eco-friendly and responsible manner which will allow farmers to develop their industry. We must achieve the right balance.

Local authorities, whose public representatives have a direct connection to Government, should show the way in this regard. We should insist that there are tertiary treatment systems for every urban outlet along the river. That would be a good start to allow us to begin to take control of the problem. Some of the management proposals in the interim report recommend stricter licensing and regulation of industry based along the Shannon. I agree with Senator Caffrey that bio-systems which are now available for domestic housing should be a condition for any planning permission for housing not linked to a sewerage system.

We must look at what needs to be done at a micro level. We need to introduce a licensing arrangement for the control of industrial dis charges. We must ensure that EU water treatment directives on sewage discharges are implemented and policed. Local authorities and urban waste managers must be aware that they are in breach of European and probably national legislation and are certainly acting against the common good and the interests of people in general. A phosphorous reduction facility must be installed at all waste water treatment plants. Our biggest task will be in dealing with agricultural waste from farmyards, fertiliser waste, intensive farming waste and poultry and pig farming waste. We will have to deal with all those areas. Fertiliser must be applied in a way that does not result in it ending up in the water within a couple of days. We also need to look at the operation of farmyards along the banks of the river and its tributaries.

The rural environmental protection scheme plays a crucial part in dealing with this problem. Many farmers find it difficult to comply with it and there is probably a need to ask the relevant Department to look into customising a REP scheme for the Shannon area with particular focus on the waterways. We need to work backwards from ensuring the waterways are kept clean and then see how we can propose to the farming community a way of protecting them. I have discussed this matter with the IFA and farmers who share a commitment to rural Ireland. We have to show people the way forward and let them know what we want of them. Somebody will have to take responsibility for this area if we are to achieve results. I do not believe that the loose arrangement which exists between local authorities is the way forward nor do I believe anybody else feels it is the way forward. We need to establish an authority, like Údarás na Gaeltachta, with responsibility for the Shannon and its waterways. It would require that authority be devolved to it from local authorities and central government. I know there are political blocks and fears to it but such an authority would be an additional resource in tackling the problem.

Travelling along the Shannon, it is very obvious that some local authorities are prepared to invest huge sums in the river through the development of sewerage facilities, etc., and others do not seem to afford it much thought at all. If one travels down – and this is a subjective view – through the Shannon, it is clear that Roscommon takes a great interest in the river and has tried to develop its side quite well. I could not say the same for Longford County Council which does not seem to afford it the same importance. Places like Tarmonbarry and Lanesboro are perfect examples; Lanesboro is situated right on the river and all the development has taken place on the Roscommon side. That type of uneven development is unacceptable.

We will have an open waterway from Ballyshannon to Ballybunion with the opening of the Limerick navigation system. This is a huge issue; we are protecting the beauty of the river which is part of our heritage. It is the basis for the development of a an environmentally friendly tourism industry. It can add to and improve the quality of life in Ireland. It is unique in many ways in Europe. There is no waterway in Britain or Ireland to compare with the Shannon/Erne navigation. We have an extraordinary industry within the Shannon, the Erne, the canals and the Barrow. There is an excitement about being able to travel up through the Barrow and the Grand Canal into the Shannon and on up to Ballyshannon. It will be an adventure for people if it is developed properly but that can only be done if people have faith in the project. I was very saddened this year to hear from a number of people involved in the fishing industry – I do not fish myself, I prefer to buy it in the local shop – that they do not fish anymore because there are no fish left. The eco imbalance created by the zebra mussels has made it almost impossible for the pike to thrive. It could well be that nature will right that balance in four or five years.

I am delighted to have the opportunity of debating this issue. The bottom line is that we need to establish a Shannon river council with responsibility for dealing with all aspects of the river devolved to it by local authorities and central government, an authority in which we can all have an input and which will look after this great heritage.

Mr. Dardis

I welcome the Minister of State to the House to debate this very important issue. It is an area in which there has been inaction, where various agencies have passed the buck to others and where there has been, what I would describe, a circular system of indecision and inaction. As a result, one of the premier water resources of Europe has been damaged, I hope, not irreparably.

I can be quite boring on this issue as I am sure you, a Chathaoirligh, are well aware as I am a fisherman. I will bring the Minister on the angling odyssey on which I brought some of his predecessors. I remember bringing Mr. Wilson, when Tánaiste and Minister for the Marine, on this angling odyssey. It begins when I was about 12 years old at Banagher which Senator Moylan will know very well. I used to take a boat from the very small harbour in Banagher, row it to Meelick weir and back where one could catch pike and, if you were lucky, salmon. Rushes were harvested and sent to Spain to make caskets for wine. At that time the water was clear. The bottom of the river could be seen if you went in deep enough. Then Bord na Móna came along. At that time jobs were the imperative. Everything was secondary to jobs. Unfortunately, the environment was sacrificed in the pursuit of jobs. We have now learned that both go hand in hand. There has to be sustainable development. International companies locating here now demand a clean environment for their industry and staff. The peat came down, it was not filtered and it became suspended in the water. Eventually it reached Lough Derg where it settled out and we now know about the problems. Measures were subsequently introduced to reduce the burden of peat in suspension entering the water but, unfortunately, the damage was done.

I moved from Banagher, where one could no longer fish, to fly-fish on Lough Ennell, which is part of the catchment. Within a few years, if I went to Lough Ennell on a summer's evening and put an oar in the water I would not see the blade because the water was so green. That was the fault of the local authority because of the lack of treatment works in Mullingar. That has been rectified but again at what cost. Thankfully, it is now a good angling lake but at that time it was so bad we had to leave Lough Ennell and go to Lough Sheelin.

Again there was the issue of jobs being required for the rural area and piggeries needed to be built, but it did not seem to concern anyone what would happen to the effluent from these intensive pig units. It reached the point where the Government eventually had to introduce a transport scheme to remove the slurry from the immediate catchment area.

One of the worst things I heard in all that odyssey was in Roosky where a person actively involved in the industry and who subsequently became a member of a local authority said to me that, if he had five years, he would have so much slurry pumped into Lough Sheelin that it would be reclaimed. That was his attitude to Lough Sheelin. Unfortunately, that attitude was not unique but commonplace. I could continue through Lough Derg and Lough Derravaragh and other parts of the system and show similar things happening.

The unfortunate aspect was that it was a crime against the environment and no one said stop. Now we have a more insidious form of pollution. At that time, point sources of pollution were very common. Much action has taken place in the meantime to deal with some of those point sources and to prosecute people for them, but there is a more insidious type of pollution now from phosphates from agriculture, sewage treatment works and household detergents. The problem is that tiny quantities can cause serious damage. It has happened in Lough Conn, which is not part of the catchment, and other lakes in the west. It probably is something to do with the soil. If phosphate is put on peat soil, it becomes very mobile and will find its way into the watercourses and even very small quantities in terms of parts per million will cause a problem.

I agree we should not point the finger at those responsible but the State, especially local authorities, were primarily responsible and stood back when much of this happened. Much of the legislation which has passed through these Houses recently regarding the protection of the environment and the Environmental Protection Agency, all of which is very commendable, grants exemptions for local authorities. They are allowed to do things private individuals would never be allowed to do. There is also the issue of BATNEEC – best available technology not entailing excessive cost. It must be within a cost. That is frequently used as an excuse for not doing what should be done.

There is a serious problem in my county with water abstraction from the River Liffey to provide drinking water to Dublin. It is essential that people have drinking water; no one disputes that but what is in dispute is the quantity. It is my experience that civil engineers, be they local authority or otherwise, regard watercourses as a source of drinking water and a place to deposit waste. That is how they see it in engineering terms. Those of us who fish, farm or are close to nature see it in a different light. That has been a common attitude on the part of the engineering profession. It is a regrettable one which has done a great deal of damage. Some 53 million gallons a day are abstracted from the headwaters of the River Liffey at Ballymore Eustace. It is intended to increase that to 73 million gallons a day and, if certain people had their way, it would rise to 120 million gallons a day.

I tried to cap that because there are alternative sources of water, one of them being the Shannon. At the time the county engineer said to me it was not possible and asked where was the impoundment on the Shannon. The impoundment on the Shannon is in Lough Ree. He asked how the water could be piped to Dublin. That is not a problem but I was told it could not be done. We have a way-leave; we do not have to acquire land. The bank of the canal is the way to pipe the water to Dublin. Several years after I was told that this was impossible, the Société Générale des Eaux produced a report on the greater Dublin water supply. The report said one of the options was to pipe water from the River Shannon to Dublin. Having been told by the engineering staff of Kildare County Council for several years that this was not possible, it was in the report. Anything is possible. The question is how much it is going to cost. It would not be an excessive cost but that is only a related issue. We should be dealing with the Shannon.

Senator Finneran asked what would happen if the clock were stopped on phosphates. It is understandable and the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, would be well aware coming from Wexford that, in the 1950s, we had phosphorosis in cattle and huge deficits of phosphate on land which seriously affected agricultural production. The ethic of the time rightly said that that needed to be addressed. What happened was that the balance went too far in one direction. Now Teagasc is reducing its recommended rates of phosphate. The question which arises is, if the clock is stopped, how long does that take to work back into the system? I suspect it takes a long time. However, I would still conclude that it is phosphates from local authority sources – sewage treatment plants – and from household detergents that cause much of the problem. It seems sensible that household detergents containing phosphates should be banned. That is not impossible and should be considered by the Government.

Then there is the acidification effect of forestry, especially in the west. We dealt with some of these issues yesterday when we discussed the Planning and Development Bill. It must be asked how far back from the watercourse should trees be planted. There is an answer to that question. I do not know what it is but there is enough expertise to suggest what the answer might be. That is another simple measure which could be included as part of the new requirement to have planning permission for forests and it should be considered. There should be a barrier. The State was again culpable in this area. Trees were planted to the edge of Lough Currane in Kerry and the lakes in Connemara which had a huge effect on the ecosystem which was delicate and which sustained the fish life in those lakes.

The question of tourism is critical in all this and I share the views already enunciated regarding boats and the effect they can have. However, we must understand that the attraction to the tourist is the country and that is the resource we have a duty to protect, preserve and enhance. When I began fishing on Lough Corrib 25 years ago, people flew from America to Shannon Airport at a time when it was very expensive, they hired a car, stayed a month, had a gillie every day and left serious money behind them when there was little money in the economy. Those people will go to Russia, the Falkland Islands or wherever the sport is, and they will go if it is right. We need to keep that in mind when it comes to some of the rhetoric we use about promoting tourism. If we are serious about promoting tourism, there is an economic responsibility on us to do, and an economic merit in doing, the work required to ensure the watercourses are of sufficient quality to attract those people to come and stay in our midst.

There is a question of law and successive Governments can point to measures which have been introduced over the past ten to 15 years, such as fisheries Acts, EPA legislation and so on. That corpus of law has given us the tools to deal with some of these issues, but one wonders about the determination to use it and about the resources available to people in the fisheries boards, for example, to allow them undertake that type of work. Has it not been the case that certain fisheries officers have had to stay at home because there was no money to fund them to do the work they were given the remit to do? If that is the case, and I believe it is, the issue needs to be examined. I fully agree with the Minister's statement that the catchment approach represents the best method of managing our inland water courses. If we are to learn any lesson about the Shannon and the manner in which it should be managed, it must be that it is impossible to treat Lough Sheelin at one end of the catchment differently from Lough Derg or Lough Allen. The fundamental lesson is that the entire water course is inter-linked. What happens in Lough Allen eventually impacts on Lough Derg and an integrated catchment approach must be adopted.

The matter of EU standards is frequently used as a refuge by people who praise Ireland for being within certain specified EU standards. That is not good enough. EU standards are minimum standards which apply to countries which experience far more environmental difficulties than we do. Our standards should be well ahead of European standards and should be maintained as such. I do not go along with the refuge frequently sought in reports which state that water quality is within a specified EU standard.

We need to know what figures we are dealing with and that is why reports, such as this one, are to be welcomed. In the past, it was too frequently left to anglers or other interested bodies to decide whether pollution was occurring and we did not know the base line against which we should have been working. There is an obligation on us to apply proper base line data to the various waterways in order to chart deterioration or improvement. Happily, that issue is being addressed.

The issue of biological assay is one which is seriously neglected. I have seen rivers in other parts of the world where fish were kept in a tank through which river water constantly flowed. The fishes' behaviour is the first sign something is wrong. When they begin to suffer, one knows something is wrong with the water. It is not necessary for someone to go out with a test kit, although that can subsequently identify the cause of the problem. There is great merit in that aspect of biological assay. The ESB has done a reasonably good job on the Shannon in the manner in which they have managed the fishery. However, we must ensure that the water in which the fish swim is of an acceptable standard, in addition to ensuring that the water is suitable for human consumption. At the end of the day, that is the fundamental objective.

A catchment approach should be adopted and constantly monitored. An overall management system must be put in place and the issue of phosphates must be examined to see whether we should ban some household detergents. We must also consider the whole issue of the REP scheme.

Zebra mussels were referred to and they are obviously a very serious problem. Signs are posted on the shores of Lough Corrib and Lough Mask stating that people must inspect their boats for zebra mussels and that, if they are found, the boats should be steamed. I wonder how many people ever read those signs. Boats come for the mayfly on Lough Derg and Lough Ree and move westward to Lough Corrib, Lough Mask and Lough Conn. The movement of zebra mussels could have a hugely detrimental effect. I fished on a lake in North Carolina last year and one could not have been in any doubt when one arrived at the lakeshore as to what one's responsibilities were in regard to zebra mussels. There were people present to ensure that measures were taken. Of course, the resources to monitor the situation exist in America but I thought it was quite interesting to see that happening in North Carolina, given the size and scale of the United States and the number of waterways there. We could learn some lessons from that.

What has happened to some of our inland waterways is criminal. It is our responsibility to ensure the resource is passed on to the next generation to enjoy, irrespective of whether a tourist ever visited the country. Those resources have existed since the Ice Age and it is only recent generations which, in their greed, decided that they are expendable. The waterways have existed unencumbered and unpolluted for 20,000 years but one or two generations can decide to expend them and leave their children to live with the consequences.

Mr. Connor

As someone who lives beside the waterways, I am delighted to contribute to this timely debate. I welcome the reports published on the Lough Derg and Lough Ree catchment, management and monitoring system. They reveal a great deal of information of which we were not previously aware in relation to the condition of the catchment.

The Shannon catchment is the largest catchment in Ireland, having an area in the region of 17,500 square metres. Lough Ree and Lough Derg alone have a catchment area in excess of 10,000 square metres. The lakes have a huge influence on the centre of Ireland.

I do not agree with Senator Finneran that we have destroyed the system, although there is not any doubt that we have damaged it. There was little, if any, systematic monitoring of the condition of the Shannon until 1971. It is interesting that a survey carried out in 1971 and published some years later revealed that almost 85 per cent of all rivers and waterways in Ireland were Class A in pollution terms, in other words they were very clean. At that stage, approximately 5 per cent of Irish rivers were seriously polluted. The level of serious pollution has actually decreased since 1971 but there has been a significant increase in the levels of slight or moderate pollution.

The subsequent monitoring carried out in the 1980s reveals a clear downward trend. My figures indicate that the 85 per cent Class A trophic status figure which existed in 1971 now stands at approximately 51 per cent. Almost half of the rivers, waterways and lakes in Ireland are now moderately polluted. In 1971, only 15 per cent of our waterways exhibited any degree of pollution, although there was a greater degree of serious pollution. The level of moderate pollution has increased dramatically.

The status of Lough Ree, the third largest lake in Ireland, has been classified strongly eutrophic. Lough Derg, which was formerly strongly eutrophic, is now moderately eutrophic and Lough Sheelin is highly eutrophic. However, there are many positive findings in the report. Lough Allen, the third largest lake on the Shannon system, is oligotrophic, which indicates a very high level of water purity. Lough Acres, another large lake, is moderately eutrophic as well. Lough Key in County Roscommon is one of the major water amenities in Ireland and it is surrounded by a lovely parkland. It is mesotrophic, which is very satisfactory. Lake Oakport, near Carrick-on-Shannon, is of similar quality, as are Lake Boderg, a large lake on the River Shannon near Roosky, Lake Bofin and Lake Forbes. Lough Ree has given rise to serious concern because of its size and the way it has deteriorated in recent years. In 1971 it was one of the clearest and purest water reservoirs in Ireland. Today it is strongly eutrophic.

I welcome the monitoring programme being carried on Lough Ree by the Department of the Environment and Local Government. This programme is jointly administered by Roscommon County Council and Clare County Council. There is also a number of project partners, including the seven local authorities which border or are affected by the River Shannon, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Electricity Supply Board and the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board.

Today's contributions referred to agriculture, the difficulties of industrial discharges and the loading of phosphates into rivers. We must remember that the large Shannon catchment area has one of the lowest population densities in Europe, and certainly a very low density by Irish standards. There are 15 to 20 people per square kilometre in this area and that is very low by national and international standards. There are not many urban agglomerations in the Shannon catchment area. Athlone is the largest town in the area followed by Mullingar, Tullamore, Nenagh and others. Six urban agglomerations have a population in excess of 6,000 people.

With regard to agriculture, 75 per cent of the land in that catchment area is grassland. The stocking density is lower than the national average and well down to the level that qualifies farmers for the rural environment protection scheme and various income supports sponsored by the EU. About 11 per cent of the area is peat bog. Bord na Móna has taken out most of the peat but we want to preserve the remainder as the last example of peatland landscape in Europe and the world. As a result many of these peatland areas have been designated special areas of conservation.

Only 3 per cent of the 16,700 square kilometres in this catchment area is devoted to forestry, which is low by national standards. The national target is to have 6 or 7 per cent of Ireland's land mass under forestry. The problem is the lack of variety in the species. Most of our trees are of the evergreen varieties and they create an acidic pollution in the systems which eventually reaches the River Shannon. The Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources has an interest in this problem. The State which was the first forester in Ireland made the first mistake because it concentrated only on evergreen trees, lodgepole pines and sitka spruce which deposit their needles, creating acidity that pollutes and damages water and eco systems. It is extremely important, before we increase the 3 per cent forestry level in the catchment area up to the national average of 6 per cent, that we ensure it is forestry policy to plant broadleaf and deciduous trees in the area. This has been said almost ad nauseam but it needs to be said repeatedly.

In relation to the urban agglomerations and the loading of sewage effluent into the system, waste water from all the major and small towns is routed into the Shannon system through the various tributaries. Currently we are spending £48 million to improve the sewerage systems in major towns. Of that sum 85 per cent is provided by the European Union through the Cohesion and Structural Funds. Smaller towns such as Ballaghaderreen, Boyle, Roscommon, Monksland Industrial Estate near Athlone and Castlerea are getting a major investment to install water treatment facilities in their sewage disposal systems. Phosphate removal mechanisms will also form part of those new facilities and those mechanisms are expensive but extremely important. I hope this measure will have a major effect.

It is estimated that it would take £30 million to bring all urban systems up to standard in the Lough Derg catchment area. For the catchment area of Lough Ree we would need an additional £18.7 million after the current spending. The River Suir catchment area would require £26.7 million to bring all the sewage disposal systems in its urban areas up to standard. Lough Leane, which must have very few discharges other than from Killarney town, will require £11.75 million to bring it up to standard. The River Barrow, one of our major rivers, would require almost £12 million. One welcomes the £48 million that is currently being spent. However, we see from the figures I have given how much more money is required.

From the year 2000 onwards we will have to rely less on the European Union to provide resources. We will have to fund these schemes from our own resources but we are generating twice as much in terms of resources than we did ten years ago. Therefore, it is important that the Government is willing to provide additional own resources for major infrastructural and anti-pollution improvements so that the problems are tackled. We have set a target to bring the condition of Shannon catchment area, which includes Lough Ree, Lough Sheelin and other waterways, up to a mesotrophic status by 2007. Unfortunately, it is not just the lakes that are polluted in the area. An enormous amount of work needs to be done and the type of spending I outlined is required.

Many speakers today used an almost accusatory tone when referring to agriculture. Of course agriculture is a major source of phosphate loading into the river systems. However, the Government plays a role here. Many farmers who have had low incomes in recent years do not have the resources to provide themselves with proper waste management systems. A farmyard pollution grant scheme was put in place this year after two years in incubation and a previous two years without having any scheme in place. The scheme will be paid for out of year 2000 moneys and it is only then it will become effective. At present, we are considering the national plan.

We must ensure that in this national plan, which is also our application for Structural and Cohesion Funding from the European Union, we do not have a grossly inadequate sum for funding the control of farmyard pollution as in the last plan prepared and published by the Government in 1994. If I remember correctly, it only lasted for seven months of applications and the Government of the day had to provide from its own resources to deal with the applications which came in. The scheme was then set aside because there was no funding. A new scheme is operating this year and, although its value to farmers has been much reduced, there is value in its being there.

We have another opportunity to address the problem given that the national plan is being prepared. We will seek funding from the European Union. It is an issue in which the EU is extremely interested because it is paying for 85 per cent of the Lough Ree and Lough Derg catchment monitoring programme. It would be very amenable to assist us significantly in the control of farmyard pollution or in any of the other anti-pollution measures we need to take to bring water quality levels back to those which existed 25 years ago.

Mr. Moylan

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I welcome what the Minister, Deputy Woods, said earlier. This is an ideal opportunity for those who live near or who are concerned about the state of the River Shannon to outline what they believe should be done to improve it. We all recognise the importance of the River Shannon to the midland region – it is crucial to tourism and as a water supply to many towns and villages.

This river serves a considerable area and many problems arise. I know the River Shannon very well because I live beside it in Banagher, County Offaly. People talk about how the quality of fishing has deteriorated. I have a boat on that river which I built in the mid to late 1960s and which I still use. At that time, one would see ten to 20 people fishing in the evening using their own boats. Nowadays one is unlikely to see anyone fishing on the river simply because of the way in which the quality of the water has deteriorated.

We must welcome the sums of money spent on many developments, including sewerage systems along the river and its tributaries. A considerable amount of money has been well spent in some cases. Some sewerage systems have been updated and modernised. However, the local authorities and consultants who drew up the plans still avail of an overflow pipe to the main river or its tributaries, despite having spent millions of pounds in some cases on new systems. That is not good enough and local authorities and Departments must ensure that we no longer require the overflow pipes to the River Shannon when we have spent such moneys. While that arrangement continues it is unlikely that we will improve the pollution in the River Shannon.

We must also look at the quality of water. A number of towns and villages use the River Shannon and some of its tributaries as their source of water which is treated at treatment plants. Senator Dardis said that when considering the quality of water, it is good to look at how fish life survives. Some of the newer water treatment plants have created ponds where the water goes into the treatment works. Some years ago fish had no problem surviving in the water being pumped into the treatment works. Now the fish do well to survive in water which has been treated once or twice before being piped to the storage tanks for the public.

When looking at the reasons for problems it is easy to point the finger at farmers. In the Shannon basin the land is low lying and there is a very slow flow on the river which can flood easily. Much of the work of farmers who have spread slurry or fertiliser can be washed away in a night or two after heavy rain in summer. There is little they can do about that. If the spread of fertiliser has to be done under licence, I have no doubt farmers will obey, although given the level of the land, it is sometimes impossible for them to do that because it can be washed away.

Many treatment plants have been put in place. There are now thousands of boats on the river. Senator O'Toole spoke of the cost of insuring a tank to hold the effluent on his boat. There are thousands of boats on the river which do not have storage tanks or the capacity to hold effluent and it is being released into the Shannon. That matter must be tackled quickly. In many cases, the companies which own those boats drew down large grants to purchase them. The Department must ensure that in the event of further grants being paid, they will be paid only in respect of boats which comply with the regulations which should have been in place years ago. That is a matter we should look at soon because even with a facility for storage, pump-out facilities must be made available in towns and villages. We have spent considerable sums of money but we have not put in place enough facilities to enable boating people keep the river pollution free. We must clean up that aspect of the pleasure boating industry. Whether we like it or not, more of those boats appear on the river annually but pump-out facilities have not been provided. There are also problems with boats leaking oil.

There is a problem establishing who is responsible for the river. We have spoken about having a Shannon council or a single body responsible for the river. The Office of Public Works, fisheries boards and the ESB all have certain responsibilities for the Shannon. The ESB is responsible for maintaining an adequate level of water for Ardnacrusha, but it must also be kept at a certain level for tourist boating, so tourism bodies also have an input. Many bodies have vested interests in the Shannon and it is time that one body was responsible for the Shannon and its waterways.

Wildlife is another consideration, especially when flooding around the Shannon is discussed. The farming families in the area are another important element. Those farmers have looked after the river and lands of the area and will continue to do so. They have always maintained the lands under their care properly. However, there are often other interests which may lessen a farmer's chances of making a living and that element must be examined. The farmer who wants to earn a living from the land must be able to do so.

I mentioned towns and villages which have problems with their sewerage systems affecting the Shannon and its tributaries, but we must also look at the huge number of houses being built in rural areas. Those houses have septic tanks and percolation areas. The day has come for old fashioned septic tanks and percolation systems to be replaced by the puraflow system. This will ensure that overflows from septic tanks that get back into the land will be treated so that they do not harm underground water supplies. This matter will have to be addressed, perhaps by local authorities, but those local authorities will only do so if directed by the relevant Departments. One might ask why it should be forced on people building houses in rural areas. Our generation and those before us kept our water quality levels very high, but the quality of water in the Shannon and its tributaries has deteriorated in the last 20 to 30 years. Every effort must be made to ensure that our water sources are cared for. I am in favour of rural development, but the huge numbers of new houses in rural areas should use the new puraflow system. The old septic tank system is no longer adequate.

We must look at other bodies which are responsible for river pollution. Bord na Móna was very good to the midlands in giving employment, particularly in my area. However, it has also created silt ponds and that is not good enough. One need only visit my area of the Shannon to see the amount of silt in the river. Silt islands are appearing in the Shannon and something must be done to ensure some of them are removed. There will be costs involved, but it must be done to ensure a proper channel in the river is maintained for the development of fish life. We depend greatly on tourism. Senator O'Toole referred to a pike fishing competition at which no pike were caught one day, although there was good fishing the following day in another location in my area, thank God.

Pollution must be tackled. Many organisations and people are responsible for pollution in the Shannon and its tributaries. I welcome this excel lent report and the many points it raises must be taken on board. Local authorities have a serious responsibility in this area and we, as public representatives, must ensure that when we move on and others take our place we have done our bit to ensure an improvement in water quality in the river. From time to time we are condemned for what we have allowed to take place, but the amount of funding that has been approved for sewerage systems along the Shannon means that we will see improvements in that river and its tributaries over the next four to five years.

I thank the Minister. He referred to many improvements that have been put in place and we are on the right track when it comes to improving water quality. I wish him and his Department well, but we must leave nothing to chance. Those who come after us must have the same quality of water that we had 25 to 30 years ago.

Ms O'Meara

I welcome the Minister. I am pleased we can debate this fine document and the Minister will be aware from contributions that concern for Lough Ree, Lough Derg, the River Shannon and its tributaries is shared across the House. We want to see this matter addressed in the best possible way and the Minister will be aware from concerns expressed about a number of issues that this is an urgent matter. The report is very useful in that it provides us with accurate information from those working directly with the issues involved and we should be able to map the way forward from their conclusions.

Yesterday on Committee Stage of the Planning and Development Bill we discussed the definition of "sustainable development" with the Minister for the Environment and Local Government and whether it should be included in the Bill. The Minister said that sustainable development is a flexible notion and therefore could not be included in the Bill. However, we are agreed, at least at this time, on what sustainable development is – that we use our resources to meet our needs but not in a way that damages it for future generations. If that is the case, we have not applied the principle of sustainable development to our inland waterways – we have done the opposite. Senator Dardis said what happened to the River Shannon was a crime. However, I would say what is happening to the River Shannon is and continues to be a crime.

Senator O'Toole raised the setting up of the Shannon river council, which I support. With other Senators, including Senator Taylor-Quinn, I sponsored the re-publication of the Shannon river council Bill in order to pursue the issue of co-ordination of our resources and the tackling of the pollution problems associated with the River Shannon. It is clear from this document that the need for co-ordination is urgent and that a river council or another body must be instituted if the range of pollution problems in our lakes and the River Shannon are to be properly and immediately tackled. The Minister outlined the range of measures being undertaken. I acknowledge and welcome the measures taken in the north Tipperary area, the latest of which is funding for a sewage treatment plant at Terryglass on Lough Derg, a beautiful village which has won the Tidy Towns Competition on more than one occasion and is visited by a considerable number of tourists during the summer. This illustrates that while we are implementing individual measures, we still have the problem with zebra mussels, phosphates and pump-out stations. The latter was referred to already and I am putting down a motion on it with Tipperary North Riding County Council. It is a disgrace that county councils have responsibility for a number of pump-out stations but nothing is being done.

A wider issue which is important to this debate is whether local authorities should be given responsibility for environmental issues. Are they equipped for this? Do they have the resources, expertise and skill? For example, if one takes the unrelated environmental problems associated with the Tailings Pond facility outside Nenagh, the local authority has responsibility for ensuring the pollution problems are dealt with but without the help and assistance of the EPA, it would have been unable to take the action it has so far. The engineering section of Tipperary North Riding County Council is obviously responsible for engineering and now has to deal with environmental issues on a continuing basis.

Perhaps we should reconsider the question of environmental responsibility and our local authorities. This report, under management proposals, states that the enforcement mechanisms are available to both local authorities and the EPA under water pollution and other legislation, including planning legislation. It also states that local authorities have enforcement powers under the Planning and Development Acts and, under the 1997 Act, they may regulate or restrict activity involving the holding of pollution matter and farming activities such as silage making and slurry spreading. These are increasingly onerous duties. As a member of a local authority, I will not criticise every local authority for not carrying out their responsibility under the law while I know additional resources are not being made available to them to ensure these important environmental duties are carried out. Can we face up to this? Environmental issues are becoming an increasingly onerous part of the responsibilities of local authorities.

The EPA has the regulatory powers, resources, expertise, skill and knowledge of the law. The EPA and the local authorities work well in partnership, and is the case with my local authority. However, a strong case can be made, in relation to farmyard pollution and the protection of our inland waterways, for the responsibility for tackling and eliminating pollution to be given to a regulatory agency with a structure similar to the EPA. The present system is not working at the moment. We are fiddling with solutions and refusing to take simple actions. A ban on phosphates in household detergents would require the signature of the Minister for the Environment and Local Government. When he was in Opposition, he agreed to this when he met environmental groups who were pressing for it. He said there would be no problem. The minute he arrived in the Custom House he suddenly said it was not as simple as it looks and that complex issues were involved. A submission had been made by Lever Brothers or one of the large companies involved. It is like the smog problem in Dublin – one can eliminate the problem by tackling the issue. It takes nothing but political will to do it. The simple measure of banning phosphates in detergents would make a huge difference and would be one contribution to cleaning our lakes and waterways.

I have raised the issue of zebra mussels before and the Minister knows my views. The regulatory agencies are not taking the problem seriously enough. The only accurate description is that there is an infestation of the lakes. Senator Dardis brought us, as he said, on an odyssey of his fishing experience. The mayfly can be seen in late April and early May. A spot such as Dromineer should be buzzing at this time. It is not – it is dead and silent. Even the local anglers go to Lough Corrib to fish because there are no fish in Lough Derg. This is not just related to pollution, and it is a problem which could be addressed easily. The ESB has responsibility for stocking our lakes. It has responsibility for electricity production and is facing a serious problem with shortage of electricity supply. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time to give the ESB responsibility for fish stocking but no longer and I appeal to the Minister to remove responsibility for the stocking of salmon fisheries in particular from the ESB and give it to the bodies with responsibility for fisheries. These issues are not being dealt with. We are fiddling around and not focusing on co-ordinating the range of pollution problems which have been causing us anxiety for years.

Looking through the report, it is clear that pollution arising from agricultural production is probably the major cause of the difficulties facing inland waterways, but we have not got around to tackling them. We are just talking around the edges because we do not want to face up to the fact that our agricultural industry – which provides the main part of the economy for a substantial part of the country – is also the major cause of pollution. We have discussed the carrot and stick approach as well as educating farmers and REPS – all of which are important issues. We have also discussed how over-fertilising is causing pollution through eutrophication of lakes which have become choked. We have failed, however, to face up to the fact that farming is polluting the lakes and, unless we are prepared to take serious action, nothing will change. I do not believe we are prepared to take such action.

There has been a gradual change in attitude by the farming community. The vast majority of farmers are well aware of their responsibility, but there are a few – as in every industry – who do not give a damn. They do not mind where, when or what they pollute. They refuse to take responsibility for their actions and thus give the entire community a bad name by causing fish kills and other negative results of pollution.

We must face the fact that the run-off from fertilisers is polluting rivers and lakes, causing eutrophication and thus killing fish and plant life. Until we reverse that process we will continue to suffer from the pollution of our lakes and other environmental damage. It is a crime that we are all guilty of.

Mr. Mooney

I endorse all that was said by the Minister. Many issues concerning pollution that have been debated in the House in recent years are now being addressed not only by the study which we are debating today, but also by the provisions the Minister clearly signalled in his speech and which are contained in the recently published Fisheries (Amendment) Bill. I do not intend to go over old ground. Senator O'Meara has summed up much of what has been said during the debate. Everybody recognises there is a pollution problem and that phosphates are the underlying cause.

Serious concern has been expressed in the upper Shannon region that, as a result of all these problems, we are facing a severe economic downturn. Coarse fishing has been the mainstay of the local economy since I was a boy. In the 1950s quite a few people in that region identified our nearest neighbour's passion for coarse fishing as an important contribution to the local economy. My late father was heavily involved in local tourism. I recall also that in Roosky, the late Tony Fallon was also involved in promoting that town and its environs. People in Carrick-on-Shannon, such as the late Séamus Peyton, and others were very active in that area in the mid to late 1950s, long before tourism marketing and development were buzz words. Such people built up a strong visitor base as well as a strong credibility among visitors from the English midlands where coarse fishing is a core sporting activity.

Even in the most difficult of economic times that important economic asset was always there from May to September in the upper Shannon area, including Leitrim, Roscommon, west Cavan and north Longford. Those areas needed a large influx of cross-Channel anglers who spent several weeks in the area. In many cases they brought their families with them. Coarse angling has been a major economic contributor to my area where the Acting Chairman, Senator Finneran, also lives.

Any decline in fish stocks will affect the essential economic balance which depends so much upon those who come to fish there, as much as to admire the scenic beauty. Over the last three years statistical evidence has indicated that the decline in fish stocks has been so severe that many visiting anglers are no longer returning to our part of the country. I have received representations from several tourism interests. For example, Alan Forrest of Angling in Ireland – an Internet website for County Leitrim and the surrounding areas – is one of those who contacted me. Geoff Cooper and his wife, Christine, who live in Tarmonbarry, County Roscommon, are involved in a guesthouse for, as they describe it, "the discerning angler". They spend much of their time among their fellow countrymen and women promoting not only their own guesthouse but also north Longford and the upper Shannon region generally.

I have also received communications from tourism interests in west Cavan which continues to experience severe difficulties in attracting cross-Channel anglers, mainly because of declining fish stocks. This information is not anecdotal, it is factual. I am heartened by the Minister's commitment to take action on the issue, but the main emphasis must be on the elimination of pollution which is a major factor contributing to the decline in fish stocks.

While I have met some of those who have contacted me to raise these issues in the House, I am not endorsing their commercial products. However, I admire what they are attempting to do. Surprisingly, they are non-nationals who have settled here because they love the country and are passionately interested in fishing. They are prepared to fish rivers and lakes as well as putting something back into the economy. They are to be admired and acknowledged for doing so.

Angling in Ireland is a website founded by Alan Forrest and William Bolton. Its aim is to promote angling tourism in Roosky and the surrounding areas. It is a non-profit making website whose authors derive no income from it. They can say, therefore, that they are totally independent in their views. According to Eircom's statistics, the website averages over 1,500 hits per week which, in the main, are from English anglers. Both men also answer many e-mail inquiries each week on specific angling related subjects. They have talked about the noticeable decline in the number of anglers fishing in the area. They point out that the hire cruiser fleet on the Shannon has increased over the past decade and continues to do so. The vessels are not fitted with holding tanks and therefore all waste, including sewage and biological detergent, is being discharged into the system at an alarming rate. In some areas, such as Dromad harbour, sewage which has settled on the bed of the river will frequently rise to the surface when the water temperature rises in summertime.

The lack of essential sewage treatment facilities throughout the area adds to the problems. Tourist facilities have recently been added in Roosky in the form of a new hotel which is a welcome addition and is doing marvellous business. I am sure that Members who have travelled on the N4 have stopped off at it, but the problem is that a pipe from the hotel is discharging waste product directly into the Shannon. The authors of Angling in Ireland cannot understand why this is being allowed to continue. In addition, there is no modern sewage treatment plant on Leitrim side of Roosky to cope with effluent from public premises in the area. I appreciate that the Minister for the Environment and Local Government is aware of this matter and he has been persistently lobbied on it. The Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources does not have direct responsibility for it but until villages such as Roosky are given proper, modern sewage treatment facilities in what is a designated tourism area, what is the point of encouraging that type of investment in the area?

The use of chemical fertilisers, phosphates and nitrates, on the land has also increased dramatically. The combination of high water tables and rainfall has led to excessive levels of these substances in the system. As Senator O'Meara said, there is currently an explosion in the population of the zebra mussel. Regretfully, the zebra mussel has come into Lough Allen. If one read the management report, one would think there was the most beautiful, crystal clear water north of Roosky. However, the zebra mussel is now in Lough Allen where it was never present before as a direct result of the re-opening of the Lough Allen canal and access to the lake by cruiser traffic. This problem must be addressed because Lough Allen is the jewel in the crown of the upper Shannon region. This is the term used by local fishing interests, but I hope it will not start to tarnish because nothing is done about the increased pollution.

I am told by my correspondents that the regional fisheries board has a workforce of only five people covering the entire Leitrim area and that these employees have responsibility for the maintenance of water quality, fishery works and all matters relating to water resources. They believe the appointment of environmental fisheries officers within this area is a matter for urgent consideration. It appears the quality of the water is determined by its suitability for drinking after treatment at the various treatment plants in the area but they need to be assured of its suitability to maintain the aquatic environment, which is what we are discussing.

The Minister said that the new Bill will result in greater local responsibility and accountability in the management and development of inland fisheries and his proposal is that the regional boards will be specifically charged with responsibility for promoting and co-ordinating the development of inland fisheries catchment management plans in consultation with local authorities and other interested bodies and organisations. I welcome this move. It is long overdue and I am sure the Minister had great difficulty taking the winning side in the turf war which undoubtedly breaks out in Departments whenever questions of devolution are raised by Ministers. It is to his credit that he included this issue. It will go a long way towards achieving the type of co-ordination to which Senator O'Meara referred because teeth will be given to the fisheries boards.

I have always believed that they have been reactive rather than proactive. They have tended to defer to the Central Fisheries Board in all matters. They have also had to wait for the Minister of the day or the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources to dot the "i"s and cross the "t"s for them. It will be interesting in the ensuing debate on this matter to note how the Minister views the future of the fisheries in the context of this issue and the Shannon catchment area. I welcome the Minister's commitment in that regard.

I do not want to give a long litany of stories from my area because the matters referred to in the debate are widespread in the upper Shannon region. For example, in recent years, there have been problems with fish, mainly pike, being taken from the system by anglers from continental Europe. I referred earlier to the fact that most of the coarse fishing anglers are visitors from our neighbour, Great Britain. This continues to be the case but, as Members are aware, in recent years Ireland has proved to be a haven for continental anglers who have a totally different culture in coarse fishing from that practiced in Ireland and by our friends in Great Britain.

Coarse fishing by its nature is a sport and, in almost all cases, British anglers will return fish to a river or a lake after they have held them in keep nets until their day's fishing is over. Sadly, that is not the culture of our European colleagues and Germans and Dutch, in the main, have pilfered fish from Irish lakes, especially the pike which is considered a waste fish in Ireland but a gourmet fish on the Continent. I am aware of cases where freezer vans turned up in the early hours of the morning on the shores of Lough Allen and removed pike which was on plates in European hotels within 24 hours. This has continued despite the best efforts of the Shannon fisheries authorities, the bailiffs and others.

It matter of resources is important in this regard and while the initiative in relation to the Fisheries Bill and the strengthening of the fisheries boards in the context of the extension of their powers is welcome, this problem will continue unless they get proper resources in terms of staff and finance. It has always been a difficulty in my part of the country, not because of a lack of will but a lack of resources. There have not been bodies on the ground to monitor the unlicensed fishing that has taken place. One can quote the law in relation to how many pike can be removed, how many people should be fishing at any one time and how many rods they can use. That is fine in theory and, if they are caught, they will face the full rigours of the law. Sadly, up to now, due to lack of resources it has not been possible to go any way towards defeating the problem.

Statistics from the Roosky angling tourism book in recent years refer to accommodation bookings received from UK travel operators. In 1997, there were 940 anglers from a total of 188 bookings – each booking represents five anglers. In 1998, there were 134 bookings, resulting in 670 anglers, and in the current year there were 81 bookings, resulting in 405 anglers. This is a 100 per cent reduction in two years in the number of angling visitors in one part of the upper Shannon region. It is indicative of the wider problem which stretches to my part of the region of Drumshanbo, Carrick-on-Shannon and over to west Cavan.

More importantly, with revenue based on the average cost of accommodation and average consumer spending of IR£150 and the total revenue being approximately IR£270 per angler, local revenue in 1997 was approximately £243,000. By 1999, this had reduced to £109,000. This is a reduction of almost 100 per cent. The average weight of fish caught in the same area, based on Irish Angling Services log book statistics which show the average daily weights per angler staying in the Roosky area, dropped from 62 lbs in 1989 to 23 lbs in 1997. No returns were recorded for the years 1998 and 1999 because it was too embarrassing.

This is the catalogue of disaster facing the coarse fishing and related tourism industry in the upper Shannon region. It gives a sad insight into the results of the introduction of phosphate pollution in the Shannon region which has been addressed by the catchment monitoring and management system report and by the Minister. It is sad in this era of the Celtic tiger, when we are rightly proud of the economic achievements of the Government and the country, that fish stocks have declined to such an alarming degree in this part of the country, which needs help because it has few basic natural resources other than its lakes and rivers and scenic beauty. Over the last 40 years, despite all the economic downturns, those involved in part-time tourism have managed to eke out a viable living by providing bed and breakfast, other facilities and extended services to those who visit the area, but that valuable source of income is being drained because anglers are not returning. They love the country, the lakes and rivers, the mountains and the way of life, but they are fishermen in the first instance. They are passionate about their coarse fishing and if the fishing is not there, they will not return.

This is the message I wish to give in this debate. I urge those in authority to take action. The Minister has been extremely committed in every ministry he has held. He has taken innovative decisions that have had long lasting effects – that is not a patronising statement but fact. It is contained in the report and action speaks louder than words. I hope he will consider much of what has been said. I do not want to make a parochial plea but I believe urgent action must be taken on the problem of pollution. I wish the Minister well with what he is attempting to do and look forward to his presence in the House to discuss the fisheries Bill.

Mrs. Taylor-Quinn

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Woods, but it is a pity the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and the Minister for the Environment are not also here because this report affects all these Departments, possibly even more so than it affects the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources.

I am delighted this report has been published and I would like to compliment the people who put it together. I would particularly like to compliment the co-ordinator Pat Duggan and Clare County Council engineer Tom Carey who have been very active in this, in further studies and in securing additional funding for further progress. County Clare is fortunate to have the Catchment Information Centre based in Ennis and run by Ann Breslin. A database is being created that is linked to the geographical information system which of course is a very key part of this issue.

This is a fine report from several points of view because it sets down some very important information. Some of it is depressing, some is positive and some concerns an action plan. It focuses attention where it is needed; it highlights areas of specific difficulty, whether in the agriculture, industrial or local authority sector and it does this very clearly. As a local representative of County Clare, one thing in this report is clear to me: while Clare is very involved with the entire Shannon, particularly Lough Derg, unfortunately it lies at the very end of the river and the bulk of the pollution that occurs upstream from Leitrim, down through all the counties, ends up in Lough Derg. That is the reality. Much damage has been done to Lough Derg because what has come into Lough Derg, particularly from the eastern or Tipperary side, has been appalling and the damage to the life of the lake has been more than confounding. This is a very serious matter.

Senator O'Meara referred to taking action, particularly on the industrial sector and mentioned a particular company in Nenagh. Action must be taken. Companies are threatening to withdraw 200 jobs but there are more jobs being lost indirectly because of polluters taking an active approach and central government or local authorities are not taking corrective action against them. In the past it has been very easy to pick on a farmer who may be struggling to survive. He is set upon very quickly by officialdom whereas big industrial firms are not as easy to take on because they have the resources that the farmer does not have.

I hope that when the recommendations and the management strategy proposed in this report are being implemented, a very fair and even handed approach would be taken. Local authorities are beginning to investigate and monitor, particularly in agriculture, when they themselves are major polluters because of the sewerage systems and the lack of proper treatment plants within the systems for which they have a responsibility. They cannot always be directly blamed for this because they have to wait for money from central govern ment to put proper treatment plants in place. Can a polluter be a monitor of another polluter? There is a conflict of interest there. The Minister appreciates this and realises that it needs attention. I ask him to consider this matter.

The real problem with the monitoring programme is that there are no reliable flow measurements available to the majority of local authorities for the waste water treatment plants and industrial discharges. This is a major omission and needs to be addressed. I hope this particular omission, which is fundamental to the entire issue, will be addressed urgently.

I welcome the fact that 100 gauges have been erected by local authorities and that 13 automatic water level recorders have also been installed within the agricultural mini-catchment area. That is a positive move. I also welcome the future installation of two new ultrasonic gauging stations on the River Shannon. Tenders are being sought at the moment and hopefully construction will commence shortly.

Ecological monitoring is extremely important and affects the angling tourism industry. There was a wonderful angling industry on Lough Derg, particularly around Whitegate, Mountshannon, Killaloe and Scarriff, where people from all over Europe came but in recent years the numbers have dropped because of the lack of fish in the lake and, unfortunately, that situation still pertains. However, there has been a marginal improvement recently. I hope that when the various consultation processes proceed, including the five main aspects of the survey which will be undertaken between now and 2000, there will be a fishery habitat survey, an aquatic survey and a varieties of fish stock survey. Not only the fisheries board should be involved. The local angling clubs have all the details. I hope the Minister will ask the personnel in the fisheries board to request information from the various angling clubs and the anglers in those areas where they can get very detailed and sometimes very stark information on what is happening in the immediate area.

The dangerous substances directive must be adhered to and, in this report, it is proposed to undertake measurements for a selected range of priority metals and inorganics. This aspect of the overall programme will be finalised in the near future in consultation with the EPA and is expected to commence in the autumn of 1999. Has this yet commenced? Perhaps the Minister would tell us.

It was recommended that the catchment information centre be based in Clare and particularly Ennis because it is the information age town and computer literacy there is high. The database does not have to be geographically based, it go can anywhere literally. All the information is being collected there and is linked into the geographical information system. This is being done through Clare County Council and the database manager is based there. This work is extremely important. That information is available to all the local authorities in the region and, hopefully, would assist them to further reduce phosphorus levels in the waters of the River Shannon.

One of the most startling and frightening figures in this report is on page 46 and refers to the tonnage that has entered the lake system from the river sub-catchment area during the 12 month period from April 1998 to April 1999 – 183.7 tonnes – a massive amount. Let us compare that to the figure for the period from 1987 to 1991 – a four year period – when the figure was 178 tonnes. That is a huge increase. There is a need to halt that trend. Another interesting fact in the report is that there was a 35 per cent higher flow in that catchment during the period March 1998 to April 1999 showing that it was an extremely wet year. It may have been helpful in one way in that it washed pollutants through more quickly. It is important that is looked at.

While improvements have been happening and sewerage systems have been put in place the load has increased dramatically into Lough Derg. Action needs to be taken by the authorities concerned. The report states clearly that co-operation is essential between the various agencies – the local authorities, the fisheries boards, the Departments of the Environment and Local Government and Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, the Environmental Protection Agency, the various licensing authorities and Bord na Móna. Bord na Móna has caused major problems upriver and they must be addressed. The semi-State organisations involved must be required by Ministers to ensure they give full co-operation to the implementation of the management proposals in this particular report.

What is coming out from the Nenagh river and that sub-catchment area into Lough Derg is appalling. The Tipperary North Riding County Council has responsibilities and must face up to them, particularly in relation to the industries in the Nenagh area that are causing significant pollution and damage in Lough Derg.

In relation to agriculture, we always hear of farmers polluting, yet we do not hear of the county councils polluting and we hear very little about the industry polluting. Farmers are singled out because they are an easy target and an example can be made easily of a farmer. I appeal for even-handedness. There are farmers who pollute. In some cases to whom it happens accidentally. There are farmers who could not care less, but the majority of them are concerned, responsible, reliable people and they should be treated as such.

In relation to the report on the agriculture and water pollution, it is accepted that Lough Derg is subject to pollution and there is a need for an action plan on agriculture in the area. In Clare County Council the county engineer has reported to the council and he will be proceeding shortly to carry out a systematic survey of all the farms in two identified areas in the county to be assessed on an individual basis and to work with the farmers. I hope that the Department of Agri culture, Food and Rural Development and Teagasc can work efficiently with the farmers in helping them to sort out their problems. An estimate of £30 million has been made for the work required to be done on the farms in this area, although the report deems this to be an underestimation. It is estimated that such an amount of money would need to be spent to address the difficulties arising and to take the necessary corrective action on farms and in the agriculture sector in general.

I ask the Minister, Dr. Woods, to convey to his colleague the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, the need to examine this report closely, identify the elements that specifically refer to agriculture, to put together an action plan and to provide funding from his Department to assist farmers in these highly sensitive areas who face specific difficulties taking corrective action. There are a number of proposals in the report for that corrective action and they should be addressed. We do not want the report to lie on the shelf in a variety of Departments and no action taken.

Fundamental to this report is the need for resources, in particular from the Departments of the Environment and Local Government, Agriculture Food and Rural Development and the Marine and Natural Resources. The Minister has always taken a proactive interest in this matter and the fact that he is here today dealing with this report, when a variety of other Ministers could be here, is indicative of his interest. We thank him for being here.

Another issue is how the EU urban waste water treatment directives are put into effect. As an island nation with such sensitive resort waters around our coast and sensitive inland waters in our lakes and rivers we should seek to have tertiary treatment plants in all towns and villages in the future. We should take a positive approach in that regard because, more than any other country in Europe, we have a high proportion of water to land. It could be of great economic benefit to us if we protect it and use it to our advantage, particularly in the tourism industry. That should be foremost in the minds of those who have specific responsibilities in this matter.

There are other issues which I hope will all be addressed. One important matter in relation to the recommendations on water management is compliance monitoring. The report states that it will be required to ensure that the proposed management measures are fully implemented. In order to have compliance monitoring resources and personnel are needed. Every local authority has a planning department to deal with planning permissions, yet they do not have monitoring personnel to see whether planning laws are complied with. I hope that in relation to the management proposals made here we put personnel in place to monitor and ensure the proposals are complied with. Thank you, a Cathaoirligh.

Mr. Chambers

I thank the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources for attending today and for producing this report which outlines some of the structures which he, as Minister, has put in place to deal with water quality and the protection of our lakes and rivers. It is one of the greatest tasks to face any Minister. Water quality is fundamental to the health and welfare of the people and the country and every reduction in quality has an effect on the well-being and health of the people. The management structures for catchment areas and central and local fisheries boards are ultimately issues for the people.

Fundamental to the report and the changes that are taking place with the Fisheries (Amendment) Bill, is the significant lack of co-ordination between Departments. Under the national development plan there is a strong emphasis on structural development and on change and investment. In my experience as chairman of the Comhair group on sustainable development, the responses from the Departments of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and Finance has been extremely negative. When one Department is involved in a particular matter without a co-ordinated effort in other Departments it does not lead to good national policy, particularly in the development of environmental protection and water quality and control. Certain changes which have taken place in the Department of the Environment and Local Government in relation to the idea of a national spatial plan for the State will be helpful in co-ordinating with the structures put in place by the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources.

This issue must be tackled on many fronts. The educational system, from national schools to secondary level, will have to bring the importance of water quality and our environment to the fore as part of our teaching process, so that we people will be educated to demand this as part of a co-ordinated approach in the State.

Not many years ago, when Teagasc was part of this catchment management, it was telling farmers nationally to develop, to use more phosphates and fertilisers to increase yields. That has brought pressures to bear on the quality of our environment along with other matters, including problems with sewage and other local authority issues. We are now at a stage where, although the EPA water quality report says we have reasonably good quality water, we are making our comparisons in a European dimensions which is nothing to go by. One need only visit some of these countries to see the significant deterioration of their rivers and lakes.

A question was raised by Senator Taylor-Quinn on the arrangements between the EPA and local authorities. The employment of the EPA by local authorities certainly has an effect. The EPA should stand alone, look at the problems, do its analysis and make reports. There is a public concern, particularly in my county, which recently had one of the most terrible experiences when a huge landfill dam burst into the Newport River, which is the source of drinking water. There were millions of gallons of leachate. There was no responsibility, no state of emergency and no statement from the EPA about the dangers of drinking the water. That is not good enough and it must be dealt with openly and fairly. It is not right or proper that such things should occur. Action must be open and people should deal with the issues.

With the economic boom and a sum in the region of £350 million in the Estimates for sewerage and water schemes, a remedy could be found and the issues should be dealt with. We can certainly enhance and make improvements in a proper planned way in good economic times but it cannot be done in bad economic times.

A great deal needs to be done in many areas. There is a need for sustainable development and for consideration to be given to the different sectors where problems exist. I have great respect for the agricultural sector where there is a realisation within the farming groups, the IFA and so on that we all have a responsibility to attain certain levels of quality which we should not go below. It is important in the management structures set up between the Central Fisheries Board, regional fisheries boards and local authorities that there is cohesion and continuity in the development and maintenance of the quality of our waterways and rivers.

The whole Shannon catchment is of huge importance to the State. It is important for those who live there that progress is made in these areas in dealing with the pressures which are commonplace on a daily basis.

Acting Chairman (Mr. Finneran)

When is it proposed to sit again?

Mr. Chambers

On Tuesday, 16 November 1999 at 2.30 p.m.