Alarm following chemical fish kill | Latest Newry News, Newry Sport and Newry Business for Newry City

Alarm following chemical fish kill

SDLP South Down MP Margaret Ritchie has called for an immediate investigation into problems at a waste water treatment works after discharge led to a significant fish kill.

Margaret RitchieSpeaking to Newry Times, she said, “I was dismayed to learn last night about the large scale of the fish kill on the Carrigs River near Murlough Bay and Newcastle at the weekend. I have learned that this fish kill was a result of a chemical leak from the Waste Water Treatment Works at Annesborough – located some 4 miles away.

“Furthermore, the representative from NI Water has just asserted that problems with pipework have emerged at this Waste Water Treatment Works in Annesborough – there is no reference to the scale of those problems.

“What is patently clear is that NI Water needs to immediately carry out a proper and adequate investigation into the nature of the problems with the pipework at the Waste Water Treatment Works; identify funding and carry out immediate works to replace or repair the problems which caused the chemical leak into our important river drainage system.

“This system is important to our tourist and recreation industry in the lower reaches of the Mournes as the Carrigs River flows into Dundrum Bay which is an important resource for mussel aquaculture farming,” she insisted.

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September 2016“Working with the local community to ensure that the people of Annesborough, Castlewellan, Dundrum and Newcastle have an adequate and functional Waste Water Treatment Works, NI Water must spell out what it intends to do to improve this system, but also ensure the publication of the timely scientific report on the impact of the Dundrum Waste Water Treatment Works on Murlough.

“The report was due this month, but it now seems to have been delayed. Whilst the report is highly scientific, it is important that it is published without delay providing a road map which would indicate what improvements are required at the Waste Water Treatment Works in Dundrum as well,” Ritchie added.

Short URL: https://newrytimes.com/?p=57846

Posted by on Oct 11 2016. Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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