Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has secured a prosecution against Uisce Éireann (formerly Irish Water) after 40,000 litres of chemical leaked into a stream, killing 100 fish.
The incident happened on 11 June 2022 at the Whelan’s Bridge Stream, a tributary of the River Suir in Co Waterford, and caused the death of 100 fish including salmon, trout, lamprey and eels.
Uisce Éireann was found to have committed water pollution breaches at the Adamstown Water Treatment Plant at Kilmeadan, Co Waterford and must now pay more than €7,100 in connection with the incident.
Evidence was given by IFI Fisheries Environmental Officer Oliver McGrath who outlined the facts to the court.
Approximately 40,000 litres of aluminium sulphate — a chemical toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates — discharged into the stream from storage tanks on the plant site.
The defendants were found to have permitted or caused deleterious matter to enter into the waters of the Whelan’s Bridge Stream, contrary to Section 171 of the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act 1959.
Waterford District Court imposed a fine of €4,000 on Uisce Éireann, and it was also ordered to pay costs of €3114.60, when the case was finalised last week on Monday 26 February.
Commenting after the verdict, Lynda Connor, South Eastern River Basin District director at IFI said: “This outcome highlights IFI’s continued and determined efforts to protect and conserve Ireland's inland fisheries resource.
“Fish kills, such as these, are serious and damaging ecological events. It is critical that Uisce Éireann ensures that adequate systems and processes are in place to prevent any such incident recurring.”
A separate IFI investigation resulted in Uisce Éireann being fined €10,000 in relation to the death of 2,000 fish in Co Clare in May 2023, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.
