This article is from page 16 of the 2006-06-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
A spokesperson for the environmental section of Clare County Council says the council moved swiftly to warn people of the dangers. The lake will remain closed for the foreseeable future and the council is to continue to carry out testing on the water.
“Our understanding is that two dogs were taken sick and taken to a vet in Ennis. There was a prescence of blue green algal bloom in the water and we have taken steps to ensure people don’t go in the water,” said a spokesman.
The problem arose after high temperatures and a prolonged period of dry weather.
“The advice would be not to bathe in the water and to not let animals in the water as it is potentially toxic. The algae is always present in the lake, it is just that the hot weather caused it to bloom so much. We would hope that the change in the weather would cause it to disperse.
“We haven’t seen the neurological toxicity tests, but it our understanding that one dog did die.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not been contacted over the issue, as the lake is not classified as a bathing area.
“As far as I am aware, there has been no contact with the EPA. The area isn’t considered a bathing area so there would not have not been any contact. In the case of Blue Flag beaches they would be contacted.”
In July of last year, an outbreak of algal bloom forced the closure of Ballyalla Lake near Ennis.
In that case, a dog also died shortly after swimming in the water.
It was the second time in just over a month that Clare County Council had issued a bathing warning. In June 2005, a bathing ban was enforced in Lough Derg following an outbreak of a suspected toxic algae.