A “significant step” has been made towards the rehabilitation of Lough Neagh with the approval of a new action plan, it has been claimed.
Stormont’s environment and agriculture minister Andrew Muir said he was “grateful” to Executive colleagues for backing the 37-point Lough Neagh Report and Action Plan, aimed at improving water quality and the lough’s fragile ecosystem.
Toxic blue-green algae bloomed in the lough last summer, covering parts of Ireland’s largest body of water and major source of the north’s drinking water in a thick green sludge.
Blooms of the algae, which can be toxic to animals including dogs, have reappeared this year.
The action plan by Mr Muir’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) contains 20 steps already approved by the minister, with the remaining 17 requiring the rubber-stamping of the Executive.
A delay in the signing off of the plan by the Executive last month led to accusations that the DUP had held it up. It is understood the party had concerns over new regulations for fertiliser, one of the major contributors to pollution in the lough.
Among the actions in the plan are the development of an online portal to provide “up to near real time water quality and safety monitoring” at the lough, and providing compliance training to slurry spreading contractors to reduce the run-off risk to waterways.
Other steps include bidding for a new grant programme “to support organisations working to improve water quality and conservation” at the lough, and the provision of additional water quality inspectors.
Mr Muir said the plan “will be a significant step towards improving water quality, reducing blue green algae and ensuring we can rehabilitate the lough to a healthy status, enjoyed by generations to come”.
“The Action Plan is not a wish list - it is a detailed, science-led, proportionate and ambitious set of actions that will make a tangible difference to our waterways,” he said.
“I must be clear however, that there are no quick fixes, it will take many years, if not decades to see substantial recovery, such is the depth and complexity of the problem.”
The minister said the Lough Neagh report complements the Environmental Improvement Plan he announced in February - the first of its kind in the north.
“Successful delivery of the actions in this plan will require significant investment to ensure the long-term improvement in water quality across Northern Ireland,” Mr Muir added.
“While our ambition and determination remain high, the pace of progress will depend to some extent on the funding available.
“Working in partnership within government and across stakeholders will be a fundamentally important element in achieving the outcomes that we all wish to attain for this and future generations.”
