Debate contribution: Lough Neagh Rescue Plan

Debate contribution by Mr Patsy McGlone on 13 February 2024.

MLA

Mr Patsy McGlone

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

13 February 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Lough Neagh Rescue Plan

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4206381

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I welcome the motion and the amendment and the opportunity to support them on this very important issue. I am from the shores of Lough Neagh — I was reared there — so I am deeply passionate about the future of the lough. It is extremely important to me. We will come to other issues, such as returning the lough to public ownership, from where it came. We also need to deal with that. Despite efforts by the SDLP and others to recall the Assembly since the toxic algae blooms appeared last summer, this is the first opportunity that the Assembly has had to debate the ecological crisis in Lough Neagh. Fortunately, government has not waited as long to respond, although it has had to do so without political direction. Indeed, those of us who have engaged directly with DAERA and all the relevant agencies since June of last year, when I personally contacted the Department, will be aware of the work that they have done. Their efforts have laid the groundwork for the decisions that must now be taken by the Minister and the Executive, because the issues are not confined to one Department.

I recommend the detailed paper by the Assembly research staff, titled 'An overview of algal bloom in Lough Neagh', which I commissioned in September and have since made publicly available. I commend them for their efforts on that. It was really sterling work. On the topic of research, one facility that is deeply missed along the shores of Lough Neagh and about the lough is the research facility that was, once upon a time, at Traad Point in Ballymaguigan. It was operated by the University of Ulster, as it then was, and it no longer exists. It is my estimation that, had the university been allowed to continue its sterling work, we may not have hit the crisis that we are now in. It may be for another Minister in another Department to engage with the current Ulster University and to see what research facilities can be supplemented through the university. Its work was sterling. The blooms are the most visible signs to date of the ecological crisis in Lough Neagh, but they are a symptom of an underlying and long-standing problem with the water quality in the lough. Most Members will be aware of the fact that, at present, around 50% of the North's drinking water is extracted from Lough Neagh and treated. It is also the discharge point for treated waste water at points around the lough shore. It supports an eel fishery and other fisheries and the extraction of sand and gravel. It is also the site for a range of recreational and sporting activities. We also know that, even before the recent algae blooms that have caused so much concern — principally because of their smell and visibility — the water quality in the lough has been in decline for some time. Since 2020, the lough has been described as being in poor status. That is just one level above the lowest status of "bad" when it comes to the ecological and chemical conditions of the water. The build-up of excessive levels of nutrients is the main driver of the conditions under which algae blooms are likely to thrive in Lough Neagh through a process called eutrophication. The annual mean temperature of Lough Neagh has also been rising in recent years, and there has been a marked decrease in the cloudiness of the water; both of which can contribute to the frequency of the algae blooms. The presence of the invasive zebra mussels may also be a contributing factor, but the scientific advice is that a build-up of excessive levels of nutrients is driving the ecological crisis. Eutrophication in Lough Neagh is an ongoing process that began in earnest in the early to mid-20th century. We have yet to begin to properly address it. Both phosphorous and nitrogen are the main nutrients involved in that process. If you look at the research paper to which I referred, you will see information about the high levels of nitrates in the past four to five years and about how the intensification of nitrates in the lough has more than tripled, according to that research. The process of intensification of nitrates and phosphates in the lough must be addressed. Recent research by Ulster University suggests that it could take decades — other Members referred to that — to achieve a good status for water quality in the lough, because of the phosphorous levels already in the lough sediment. That does not mean that it should not be done; it just means that real recovery will take time. It needs time, commitment, policy drivers and investment. The public awareness generated by the impact of the algae blooms of last summer may provide the necessary impetus for the Assembly, its elected Members and the Executive to take the action required. DAERA's 'Draft 3rd cycle River Basin Management Plan' identified the potential —

— main sources for nutrients in the lough as run-off from agricultural land use and pressures on the sewage infrastructure. There is much more that could be said, and, inevitably, it will be said, but I look forward not to words but to actions from the Executive.

883 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not qualifying

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 09:35 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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