Due to the severity of August’s pollution incident in the River Blackwater, Cork, the Gardaí must be tasked with assisting in the uncovering of the fish kill’s root cause, according to Social Democrats environment spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore.
Deputy Whitmore said:
“I welcome the expanded investigation into what was truly a disastrous event – our rivers harbour a delicate ecosystem which must be protected at all cost, for our wildlife, biodiversity and sustainable food stocks.
“The Environmental Protection Agency has yet to identify any causal link between facilities along the river and the fish kill, and so the scope of this inquiry must again be broadened.
“The Gardaí must now be brought into the investigation to provide expertise beyond the scope of the environmental agencies – there is a division of the Gardaí, The Environmental & Waste Crime Investigation Unit, which deals with these issues.
“Significant time has lapsed since the time of the kill – it’s getting harder and harder to ascertain what happened here, so it’s important that the root cause is unearthed as quickly as possible.
“As much investigative expertise must be deployed as quickly as possible – CCTV from the time of the kill must be monitored to observe if any suspicious activity had taken place along the river.
“Small anglers depend on fish stocks in the River Blackwater and are suffering as a result of this environmental catastrophe – biodiversity loss must be treated with the seriousness it deserves.
“Despite not being causally linked to the fish kill, findings highlighting that 362,000 litres of wastewater, with ammonia levels 30 times above the legal limit, were emptied into the river during a ten-hour period on the night of the fish kill is blatantly unacceptable.
“The EPA must be empowered to keep a closer eye on wastewater practices at all times, not just when a disaster occurs.”
September 4th, 2025