Abbott backs local river clean up project

Stranooden Group Water Scheme has welcomed the support of Cootehill-based Abbott Ireland in the roll-out of a project that targets improving water quality on the Dromore river system

Already over €1 million has been spent in recent years on introducing physical mitigation measures, communications, sampling, and farm focused interventions to try and improve the border waterway.

Last week the pairing moved their focus to the Annamacneil stream just outside Ballybay, which connects to the Dromore river system, stretching from mid Monaghan to its confluence with the Annalee between Cootehill and Kill and onto the Erne river.

Stranooden GWS (SGWS) and Abbott have collaborated on a new effort to deal with the septic tanks in the stream’s sub-catchment area, with the particular aim of alleviating high phosphate levels locally. The sampling regime identified Annamacneill as contributing as much as 60% of the phosphates leaking into the wider system.

SGWS, which has been at the forefront of source protection on the Dromore river system for the last four years and more, say the Dromore river system is “under pressure” from both rural and urban factors, with pesticides and phosphates “major issues”.

Water scheme employees completed a pilot project in terms of best practice in engaging with communities. Physical mitigations, meanwhile, included 13km of fencing, 4.335km of hedging, 2.050km of bank erosion measures and 5580m2 of willow buffer.

A steering group was also set up to advise on the best measures to improve water quality, with Abbott’s part of that, committing to fund the desludging of septic tanks in 63 households.

Ross MacDonald is Source Protection Officer with the Stranooden Group Water Scheme, which has its treatment plant at Corcaghan, Co Monaghan. He says the pollution of water can come from many human activities, and not just caused as a result of farming.

Effluent from septic tanks/wastewater treatment he regards as a “significant risk” to water, accounting for any where between 20 and 50% of the contaminant problem.

He says too that there has been a “positive response” from people living in the area to the scheme.

The desludging service is being provided at no cost to the householder, and in advance of the process taking place, dye tests are carried out to see if effluent is entering nearby water sources. This process is repeated after desludging and, where systems are found to be defective, SGWS works with the householder to secure funding for an upgrade.

He described it as “encouraging” to see a company like Abbott get involved.

“They’ve skin in the game so to speak. They’re as reliant on a safe and contaminant free water source as much as everyone else. So it’s in their interest. But even still it’s encouraging to see an industry the likes of Abbott’s actually take a keen interest in something like this, by being proactive about what they’re doing. From where we’re coming is source protection, and we know we have to get all the stakeholders involved, not just your statutory bodies.”

He says however that this latest initiative is “very much only the first step”.

“We’d be hoping the results from our ongoing monitoring and sampling in the river will see an improvement of the nutrient level.”

Is this arrangement something that could be replicated elsewhere?

“Definitely,” suggests Ross. “We’ve written the template... and we’d be hoping other people would take a lead from that. There’s loads of information about how to clean up our rivers and to be honest, it can be done. It still can be done in this country. We just have to all have the will to do it.”