Over 1,000 fish killed in Ballinagh River

The confirmation that over 1,000 fish have been found dead in Ballinagh river by Inland Fisheries Ireland has sparked outrage among the angling community in the area, particularly since the recent hot weather has been ruled out as the cause.

The community gardens are in full bloom when the Celt visits local anglers Tony Dunne, Ricky Sheridan and his daughter Jade, who also has an interest in fishing.Despite the cheerful colours on the river banks, the river itself portrays an entirely different picture. Little white lines can be seen in the river, almost like petals off a large white flower, however closer inspection reveals dead fish lying on their backs.The sight disrupts the cheerful atmosphere and much used space created by the community there, with parents trying to shield their children from the sight when the Celt calls to visit the area. The IFI environmental and fisheries staff have identified deceased brown trout, stickleback, minnow and roach along a 1km stretch of the river.

They are following a “definite line of enquiry” into the cause of the kill and the “suspected source of the pollution”. Meanwhile, a local angler has called for a “stop” to such pollution and has described the fish kill as “an ecological disaster”.

“As an angler, it’s disheartening. It’s actually heartbreaking that’s the truth,” Tony Dunne told the Celt. “It has to be put to a stop once and for all,” he called.

“I can’t let this keep going on, on our doorstep.” Born and reared in the town, Tony has been fishing the river all of his life. The stream is located “right beside” his home. “As a fisherman, it breaks my heart. It’s a lovely little stream, we used to have kingfish, we used to have crayfish, we used to have everything. “Now there’s no fish. It’s a losing battle that we’re fighting for the last while.”

The Ballinagh man has also spent time and effort teaching the youth of the town how to fish. He also said the river was home to record-breaking minnow in terms of size. “It was a great little past time for these few young fellows I was teaching. They were over there and now they have nothing to do. “It was keeping them occupied, it was teaching them how to fish. “What I saw yesterday... It’s heartbreaking to see all those fish dead after making a comeback because it was polluted a few years ago.

He fears that it will affect more than just the fish in the river, and that the pollution will travel past Crossdoney and “eventually” into the Erne.

“Everything dead, everything the whole way down.”

The Ballinagh River is a tributary of the Upper River Erne catchment.

Last week, Ricky Sheridan who looks after the community garden in the town noticed some dead fish along the river, however it was “nothing major”, according to Tony who went to inspect the area at the time.

Following the latest incident, however, the anglers are both devastated. “It’s not a great sight, to be coming across fish upside-down like that,” Ricky told the Celt, describing it as a “catastrophe”.

“Especially when we are trying to keep it so clean down there,” the Ballinagh man added. Just a few weeks ago, Ricky reported the issue to Inland Fisheries Ireland, representatives of which came out and took samples. He said it is the “third or fourth time” they have made contact with Inland Fisheries Ireland within a month. “There has been serious dirty water coming out of the sewerage pipe,” he claimed, gesturing towards the Ballinagh Uisce Eireann wastewater treatment plant.

“From the pipe upstream then, the water is absolutely crystal clear,” he claimed.

Treatment plant upgrade

Asked to comment on the latest fish kill on the Ballinagh River, Uisce Éireann told the Celt it is reviewing the existing infrastructure and treatment process at Ballinagh Wastewater Treatment Plant following reports of the incident.

“The relevant bodies have been notified and Uisce Éireann is co-operating fully with Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Environmental Protection Agency,” a spokesperson said.

They added that an upgrade to the Ballinagh Wastewater Treatment Plant is proposed.

“[The] project is currently progressing to detailed design stage. Delivery of any large-scale capital projects such as this are subject to internal governance processes, procurement, funding, planning permissions, legal and environmental regulations

“It can take a number of years to bring any capital project through all of these stages and to construction.”

Uisce Éireann has been prosecuted in the past for polluting the river, though the cause of the latest fish kill has yet to be determined.

In 2023, at Cavan District Court, Uisce Éireann was convicted of a third pollution incident regarding the Ballinagh plant since 2015. On the last occasion it related to a discharge in July 2022, which resulted in around 160 fish being killed. At the time tests showed high levels of ammonia - 32 times greater than expected in good salmon or trout waters.

Community amenity

Ricky says the root of the problem needs to be addressed to preserve the water quality and the amenity for the public.

“It’s a walkway for everybody here in Ballinagh and it just doesn’t look right for the community to be seeing something like that.”

However he added: “It is what it is, we just have to get to the bottom of it.”

Dr Milton Matthews, Director of IFI’s North-Western River Basin District, said that high temperatures and low-flow conditions “do not appear to be the primary cause of this incident”.

“The needless loss of so many young fish, at a time when Ireland’s natural environment is already under considerable pressure, is deeply disappointing,” he said.

“IFI will continue to actively examine the cause of this harmful ecological event at the river,” a spokesperson stated.

Inland Fisheries Ireland confirmed it was alerted to a contamination impact in the water by a member of the public last Sunday evening (July 13).

As the investigation continues, the IFI has said it normally receives the results of lab analysis of water samples taken “after two weeks”.

The Celt asked if there is any treatment that can be carried out on the water to mitigate the effects of the pollution

A spokesperson responded: “No, there are no treatments that can be carried out. Rainfall and rising river levels will help dilute and dissipate polluting matter.”

People can report fish kills or suspected water pollution to the IFI confidential phoneline, 0818 34 74 24.