A land owner resident in South Co. Tipperary, named as Mr Milo Cuddihy, has been convicted of carrying out in-stream works on some 300 metres of the Lingaun River at Breanormore, Glenacunna, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. The work undertaken, we understand, affected the habitats of resident fish, including populations of salmon, trout, lamprey and eel.
Realignment of Lingaun River bed and bank. Pic: Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI)
Ms Lynda Connor, South-Eastern River Basin District Director at Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) noted that this was an act of ecological destruction, and further declaring this action, by the defendant, as demonstrating a real disregard for the river, their fish species and the local habitat.
Ms Connor said “Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) would continue to prosecute such illegal activity in fulfilment of its remit to protect and conserve Ireland’s important inland fisheries resource. The decimation and removal of a river’s habitat can be devastating in terms of its effects on fish. It can also impact in-stream biodiversity, such as vegetation and insects.”
Mr Cuddihy had carried out the in-stream works on the interior of the river bed and its banks, at the Lingaun River, Co. Tipperary, destroying 300 metres of the river channel. IFI had learned of the issue first on January 28th 2023, and the case was heard at Carrick-on-Suir District Court on July 5th 2023 last, with Mr Cuddihy fined a total of €4,000, and directed to pay a further €750 in costs directly to IFI.
Ms Connor concluded by stating, quote; “Landowners need to seek all necessary and relevant information from their advisors, and from Inland Fisheries Ireland, before carrying out any works near, or on, a watercourse adjacent to their land. The appropriate window for any in-stream works is strictly between July and September, but only with the guidance and permission of IFI. During the closed season, from October to June, no works should take place in a river. IFI continues to encourage members of the public to report incidents such as this, and those of water pollution, fish kills, and illegal fishing to its 24/7 phone number, TEL: 0818 34 74 24.”
On April 13th, 2023, (Read HERE), we wrote about our concerns in relation to the state of roads within the immediate precincts of Thurles town. A copy of same was forwarded to Mr Joe MacGrath (Chief Executive of Tipperary County Council).
State of Barry’s Bridge (Thurles Suir Bridge), Thurles (N75) today, August 5th, 2023. Pic: G. Willoughby.
In a surprising reply, received from Mr Joe MacGrath, through his Secretary Ms Evelyn Harty; Mr MacGrath broke a 3 year silence to discuss road craters on Thurles streets. [His rare reply has now been framed ].
On Tuesday April 18th, 2023 Mr Joe MacGrath informed us that Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) would be along to fix the N75 bridge crossing in Thurles. Quote from Mr MacGrath: “The second photo is on the N75 bridge crossing in Thurles. TII has programmed works for this section of road, which we expect will be undertaken by the end of May”. It is now August 5th 2023 and 10 weeks later no sign of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, hence we suspect when it comes to statements made by Mr Joe MacGrath as Chief Executive of Tipperary County Council “The tail appears to continue to wag the dog”
Currently every Monday morning, in two of the craters on Thurles Bridge (Barry’s Bridge), cold tarmac is tapped down with the back of a shovel. Within a 24 hour period it has been transformed into a gravel patch, causing further damage to the area and allowing collected surface water to seep through into the bridge’s main arch structure.
The end of this month, starting August 30th, primary and secondary school children will begin travelling back to our excellent educational facilities. If repairs are not undertaken and completed before the end of this month (August 2023), school traffic in combination with roadworks will ‘drive’ everyone to despair. Local residents can then stand and further watch the destruction and ruination of businesses within an now neglected Thurles Town centre.
A copy of this blog has been sent to Mr Joe MacGrath, Chief Executive at Tipperary Co. Council.
Do you ever get the sense that your phone battery doesn’t last as long as it used to? Have you ever had a laptop refuse to turn on, only to find out that it still works when plugged into the mains? Why batteries behave the way they do over time in our appliances and what you can do once they’re spent is explained in another great video from Ted Ed Daily. Watch hereunder. Why do batteries die in the first place? And what should you do with them once they’re spent?
Almost all batteries, even single-use batteries, are theoretically rechargeable. That’s because the metals and other chemicals are still there in the battery. So chemically speaking, a dead battery is actually not that different from a fresh one.
Tipperary Remedial Action List at the end of 2022.
However, many supplies still lack robust treatment measures to guarantee their long-term resilience and safety. The EPA’s Remedial Action List (RAL) identifies “at-risk” supplies that require improvements to safeguard public health. In 2022, the number of people served by public water supplies on the RAL increased to nearly 481,000, up from 374,000 at the end of 2021.
Construction of a new plant at Lee Road (Cork City) and its removal from the RAL represents significant progress in 2022. Strategic progress has also been made in other areas such as disinfection and making the lead remediation grant easier for the public to access.
Launching the report, Dr Tom Ryan, EPA Director said: “Our public water quality remains very high, which means that the public can be confident that the drinking water supplied to their homes is safe to drink. Uisce Éireann has made good progress in delivering necessary new drinking water infrastructure such as the new plant at Lee Road in Cork which now supplies high quality drinking water to 97,000 people.
However, the EPA through our inspection and monitoring programme, continues to identify drinking water plants that are at risk and require improvements and upgrades. At the end of 2022, there were 481,000 people being served by at risk supplies on EPA’s RAL. Uisce Éireann needs to prioritise investment in those plants to improve the resilience of drinking supplies, to provide a safe and secure supply into the future.”
In addition, the growing number of people affected by persistent THM (Trihalomethane) failures, now at 235,000 people, is of particular concern. Greater effort is needed by Uisce Éireann to implement improvements at supplies to minimise exposure to THM’s, including at major supplies such as Limerick City and the Barrow supply in Kildare.
With regard to lead in drinking water, Mr Noel Byrne, EPA Programme Manager, said: “Lead in our drinking water is a cumulative risk to human health. Progress to remove lead from our drinking water supply networks, public buildings and affected homes is far too slow. The EPA welcomes the expansion of the lead remediation grant scheme, which will ease the financial burden on homeowners to replace lead piping. However, leadership is required at national level to address lead in public supplies. Uisce Éireann must accelerate the rollout of their lead mitigation plan and Government departments must outline their plan for lead replacement in public buildings as part of the National Lead Strategy.”
List of the supplies currently on a Boil Water Notice or Water Restriction (as of 28/07/2023)
In 2022, boil water notices impacted 182,000 people; a slight improvement since 2021. One third of boil water notices were in place for more than 30 days. The EPA recognise the challenges that boil water notices pose to individuals and communities, but they are essential to safeguard public health. The risk of boil water notices on some supplies will remain until Uisce Éireann takes proactive measures to address the underlying causes and improve the resilience of these supplies.
The EPA Drinking Water Quality in Public Supplies 2022 Report and the complete list of public water supplies currently on the Remedial Action List – including details of the proposed remedial measures and associated timeframes – are available on the EPA website.
Weather-wise, here in Thurles, Co. Tipperary today Thursday, July 27th, we saw a mix of light cloud and sunny spells, with just isolated passing showers and moderate west to south-west winds. with Temperatures reached between 18°C and 20°C.
With temperatures reaching 20°C today In Thurles, honey bees took the opportunity to move house. Picture: G. Willoughby (27th July, 2023)
Tonight should see a continuation of mixed clear spells and scattered showers with lowest temperatures of 9°C to 13°C, with light westerly winds changing to become more southerly.
Tomorrow morning, Friday, July 28th, we should awaken again, to sunny spells and scattered showers. However, it will turn cloudier at times during the afternoon and evening, as a band of more frequent and heavier showers moves from the west. We can expect highest temperatures of 16°C to 20°C, with light to moderate south to southwest winds.
On Friday night, rain showers should ease early with clear spells developing, however, more frequent heavy showers will move in from the west later. Lowest temperatures of 10°C to 12°C.
On Saturday, we can expect blustery winds, again with sunny spells and scattered showers, some possibly turning heavy with slightly higher temperatures of 17°C to 20°C. Similar weather is expected across Tipperary on Saturday night, again with lowest temperatures of 10°C to 12°C, and with moderate westerly winds.
On Sunday, again we can expect sunny spells and occasional scattered showers, with highest temperatures of 17°C to 20°C with a more south-westerly breeze.
So if you plan to be out and about in the open air, enjoying the beautiful scenery in Co. Tipperary this weekend, our best advice to you is to pack that lightweight rain jacket and or an umbrella.
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