A slurry spill in a Co Tyrone river has “wiped out” thousands of salmonids in a major fish kill, as BelfastLive reports.
The incident was discovered at the weekend on the River Torrent, which leads to the Coalisland Canal, with a local councillor describing a “dead zone” between the villages of Newmills and Clonoe.
“I am very angry and depressed to be honest,” Mid Ulster SDLP councillor Malachy Quinn said. “The amount of work that people have put into the Torrent and the canal, building up the wildlife... and all of a sudden it’s just literally wiped out in a matter of hours.”
1000s of fish killed at the Coalisland Canal/Torrent River. The knock on effect will have a devastating impact on the local wildlife which has taken years to build up. Kingfishers, otters, insects which may now not return. pic.twitter.com/LDWWEskaRG
— Malachy Quinn (@MalachyQuinn) June 21, 2022
A spokesperson for Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) confirmed that it has begun a joint investigation with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
“The source has been identified and NIEA are currently working with the premises involved to identify what further measures can be employed to mitigate the impact of the spillage on the Torrent River,” the spokesperson added.
BelfastLive has more on the story HERE.
