Environment chiefs have been asked if a thick scum that recently appeared at a canal close to Lough Neagh has any link to pollution.
Environment chiefs have said the unidentified substance at Toome Canal is a result of the “breakdown of decaying organic material” that occurs in “nutrient rich rivers”.
Local people have expressed their shock after the white and Brown substance appeared at the canal earlier this week.
Water from Lough Neagh drains into the canal, which bypasses sluice gates located where the lough meets the River Bann near the village of Toome.
Earlier this week politicians at Stormont debated a call to form a new management structure and plan to protect the lough, which provides 40% of the north’s drinking water.
The ongoing impact of pollution on the lough was seen last summer when toxic blue-green algae appeared around large parts of the lake.
In a statement, a spokeswoman for Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs said an inspector who visited Toome Canal on Wednesday “believes the foam is simply a natural occurring phenomenon and not a pollution incident”.
“The Inspector concluded that with no odour or evidence to suggest the foam was a result of a polluting discharge, it was simply a result of the breakdown of decaying organic material.”
The department was asked to confirm what the “decaying organic material” is but has not yet responded.
The spokeswoman said the decaying material “is a common event at this time of year, especially in nutrient rich rivers and lakes and where the water becomes trapped, such as on this occasion behind the lock gate”.
The spokeswoman added that the “foam” substance has “largely broken up and dispersed” adding it “does not have any adverse environmental impact”.
It is not known if the lock gates, which allow water flow and boat traffic to pass through the canal, were opened on Wednesday.
A picture taken on Monday reveals the extent of the scum build-up, which was still evident a day later when the Irish News visited the site.
A former commercial eel fisherman, who visits the canal every day said he has never seen anything like it in his lifetime.
“I think it’s part of the pollution, it’s part of what’s happening in Lough Neagh,” he said.
“It’s a disaster and it’s catastrophic, what’s happening, and it’s beyond fixing.”
James Orr from Friends of the Earth last night asked if the “decaying organic matter is algae or other plant life that grew due to pollution”?
“Existing agencies have failed and the lough is crying out for an independent environmental protection agency.”
A spokeswoman for Daera said “organic material is matter that has come from a recently living organism....”that die and, subsequently decompose”.
“It is not possible to definitively say that the decaying organic matter is algae or plant life that grew due to pollution,” she said.
“NIEA Water Quality Inspectors inspected the material in situ and had no concerns that it was of an unnatural source.
“Naturally produced compounds, usually a fatty acid, are released from decaying organic material. Through wave motion and wind direction, these foams can gather and concentrate in natural and man-made catch points such as bays, jetties and canals.”
