The Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) hosted a difficult meeting in Dooley’s Hotel in Waterford on March 11 last, as campaigners, volunteers, and members of the local fishing industry made their frustrations known.
The meeting was originally intended “to make more people aware of work to improve water quality in the area and to encourage as much engagement as possible with all stakeholders right across the community, including key agencies, special interest groups, voluntary, public and private sectors.”
However, it wasn’t long before the first speaker received push back from a member of the audience who claimed he had been in contact with LAWPRO many times but had received little help.
The facilitators were gracious and responsive to the criticism, but it seems they are the latest in a line of similar representatives and have inherited issues going back decades.
The decline of the River Suir and its catchments, the removal of weirs, unauthorised dredging, and unchecked, deliberate pollution were among the issues raised.
For their part the LAWPRO reps were keen to express their understanding and goodwill, while highlighting the productive projects they were embarking on, such as introducing rain gardens in urban landscapes to slow, absorb and filter run-off water.
It was explained that a centimetre of rainfall across 1 hectare of land equates to the water usage of 1,000 households. The rubber that disappears from car tyres remains on the road surface. That rubber is then washed down storm drains by the rain. Storm drains often flow directly into rivers and streams, causing significant unseen pollution.
The Netherlands were held up as an exemplar of water management. However, it was ultimately the members of the public who dominated this public meeting. One audience member even complained, asking the others not to interrupt again.
This request was not honoured. A woman who had campaigned for decades acknowledged the good will of those running the meeting but said simply that she despaired of the environmental situation on the River Suir.
LAWPRO representatives confirmed that they played a mediator role: they can bring people together but cannot punish those who caused deliberate damage to Waterford’s rivers and wildlife.
AARON KENT
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
