Councillor 'gobsmacked' over condition of river in Kilkenny

The poor water quality of the King’s River, a major tributary of the River Nore, was recently highlighted to elected officials.

A presentation on the new Water European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Project at this month’s plenary meeting of Kilkenny County Council has highlighted how the King’s River is the only tributary of the River Nore with a designation of ‘Bad’ under the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD).

This designation is symptomatic of a severe loss of niche species and ecological functioning, food chain collapses and a waterbody incapable of supporting most aquatic life.

Cllr Joe Lyons, who is based alongside the King's River in Callan, stated that he was ‘gobsmacked’ by the findings contained within the presentation.

“It’s deeply concerning,” he added.

Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Michael Doyle, then used his time to draw further attention to the concerns he has around effluent being discharged through an overflow pipe into the River Nore close to Inistioge.

“I wouldn’t put my dog in The Nore at Inistioge,” he told fellow elected members.

PROJECT SCOPE

In a bid to combat issues such as these, this new national €60 million Water European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Project will contain locally-led projects to tackle issues affecting water quality in an innovative way.

It is hoped that the project will enable improvements in water quality with co-benefits for climate change and biodiversity.

Measures are to be designed in collaboration with farmers, and will be targeted specifically to address local challenges.