The following reply was received from Tipperary Co. Council, following a formal complaint having been made by this website, last Thursday. The complaint referred to the pollution of the River Suir over the past 12 years.
The Reply Reads:-
Dear George,
Thank you for your e-mail regarding Pollution of River Suir in Thurles.
I have forwarded your e-mail to Environment Section for their attention and direct reply to you.
Should you wish to follow up on this case, please contact Customer Service Desk quoting reference number ENV-11308-F6L3.
The formal complaint was sent to Tipperary Co. Council, when this website received confirmation that Tipperary Co. Council and Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO), and the Office of Public Works would object to local volunteers attempting to improve the general appearance of the area.
Work would have involved the removal of discarded clothing; bottles; cans; weeds; plastic bollards, wooden pallets, rushes, bags of sand and a mountain of sediment, currently clogging the area from Barry’s Bridge to the area south of the Swinging Gates, same a poorly lit spot where persons gather regularly to partake in alcohol consumption.
WE have also formally complained to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) info@epa.ie, asking the question; “Does the EPA have any real teeth or are they like LAWPRO, latter simply passing information, same to land on other departmental desks, where seated are people who refuse to be motivated?
The EPA were also asked if they held the power to prosecute local authorities?
We now await a reply from the EPA, which we will publish here, in full, on receipt of same.
Pass It On Down.
Vocals: American Country Music band Alabama.
Lyrics: ‘Alabama’ Band members Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry, American country music singer and songwriter Ronnie Rogers and songwriter Will Robinson.
Pass It On Down.
We live in the land of plenty,
But many things aren’t plenty any-more,
Like the water from our sink,
They say it’s not safe to drink,
You gotta go and buy it at the store.
Now we’re told there’s a hole in the Ozone,
Look what’s washing on the beach,
And Lord, I believe, from the heavens to the seas,
We’re bringing Mother Nature to her knees.
Chorus.
So let’s leave some blue up above us,
Let’s leave some green on the ground,
It’s only ours to borrow, then save some for tomorrow,
Leave it and pass it on down.
Well, there’s a change taking place way on the mountains,
Acid rain is falling on the leaves,
And down in Brazil, the fires are burning still,
How we gonna breathe without them trees?
Repeat Chorus.
Well, there’s a place where I live called the Canyon (Canyon),
Where Daddy taught me to swim,
And that water, it’s so pure,
And I’m a gonna make sure,
Daddy’s grandkids can swim there like him.
Now we all outta feel just a little bit guilty,
When we look into the eyes of our kids,
‘Cause, brothers, it’s a fact, if we take and don’t put back,
They’ll have to pay for all we did.
Repeat Chorus 3 Times.
END
Never mind the local council and get your volunteers down to the river and clean it up. The land and rivers of Ireland belong to the people.
Check out the River Dodder and Santry works in Dublin. Some great collaborative work going on, using nature-based solutions to improve their biodiversity and amenity values.