Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 November 2023
151. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is concerned at the impact of pollution from agriculture on algal blooms in Blessington Lakes; the measures he will take to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47008/23]
View answerBlessington Reservoir, also known as Pollaphuca Reservoir, is monitored by the EPA to assess its ecological health for the Water Framework Directive. The most recent full assessment, using data from 2016 to 2021, classified the lake as being in satisfactory ecological condition (Good Ecological Status).
Algal blooms (phytoplankton over-growth) in lakes are a natural phenomenon that can be exacerbated by excess nutrients and warm settled weather. Algal blooms are not specifically monitored for in the national water-monitoring programme, as, by their nature, they can be relatively short-lived events.
Algael blooms need nutrients to grow. Blooms are exacerbated at this time of year if we get warm weather. While Pollaphuca does not appear to have an excessive nutrient issue at the scale of the whole lake nutrients may be accumulating in some smaller bays.
The local catchment area around the Blessington lake has been identified on the EPA Catchment.ie website as a catchment area where agriculture is not identified as a significant pressure.
I am not therefore concerned that any new initiative is required in this case.
