Three studies aim to tackle pollution in Milltown River
THREE separate studies are currently being carried out to determine the source of contamination in Milltown River, where the water quality is rated as moderate to poor.
Milltown River has a wide catchment area that extends from Cnoc a’ Cairn to Cnoc Baile Uí Shé on the eastern side, and from Baile Riabhach to Rinn Chonaill on the west. A well-attended public meeting, arranged by the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWP), in Benner’s Hotel last Wednesday, was told that the water quality in the upper section of the river is classified as ‘moderate’, while in the middle section (Baile na Buaile to Baile Uí Shé) the water quality is ‘poor’.
No continuous water quality assessment is being conducted in the lower section of the river and the estuary, however periodic testing by the Environmental Protection Agency has not found evidence of serious chemical pollution.
LAWP representatives told the meeting that water quality problems in Milltown River are related to a build up of sediment, and the LAWP is conducting assessments to identify the cause. Possible sources mentioned at the meeting include forestry, farm slurry and soil run-off from deep ploughing. Further meetings are to be held with farmers in an effort to identify pollution sources. This work will be done on a co-operative basis, without risk of prosecution.
Aside from the work being undertaken by the LAWP, two other water quality assessments are currently being conducted in Milltown River. One of these is spearheaded by the Dingle Hub and involves the development of cutting-edge technology that could set new standards for water quality monitoring.
The Dingle Hub project arose from a conversation between Gary Delaney, who works with both the Dingle Hub and Sacred Heart University, and Prof Mark Beakey, Chairman of SHU’s Biology Department, about an SHU water quality monitoring project in both Milltown and Feothanach rivers. Gary thought the SHU water sampling process was very labour intensive and brought his ideas to Mike Fitzgerald of Dingle-based tech company Netfeasa.
The outcome of their combined thinking on the matter was the development of a FLAG-funded remote monitoring station that measures water temperature, pH levels, water height, oxygen levels and electrical conductivity, and transmits this data to a computer ‘dashboard’ in the Dingle Hub where it can be analysed. The data can also be accessed via smartphone, giving up to the minute information on water quality and an opportunity to react quickly to problems that arise. The real time data will also be made available to the public when the system is fully up and running.
The project, which is to be extended to Dingle, Ventry and Castlemaine harbours, Tralee Bay and several rivers in West Kerry, has huge potential for worldwide application, and commercial development in this direction would dovetail with the Dingle Hub’s central aim of providing jobs in Dingle.
The third water quality study in Milltown River is being conducted by SHU, with students carrying out manual sampling as part of their biology coursework to monitor the status of river invertebrates and the presence of bacteria, as well as phosphorous and nitrate nutrients that have a huge impact on water quality. This gives a valuable indication of the health of the river: for example, mayfly larvae are a sign of very clean water, while rat-tailed maggots, as the name might suggest, are the denizens of dirt.