This article is from page 8 of the 2006-09-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
CLARE County Council has confirmed that algae on the Clare side of Lough Derg is not the same as the poisonous bloom that claimed the life of a family pet in Tipperary.
But a spokesperson for the council has told The Clare People that it will continue to carry out weekly visual inspections as well as gathering samples from the lake. The council continues to leave warning signs in place. These measures are merely precautionary.
All tests carried out by the local authority to date have come back clear for the dangerous toxic bluegreen algae.
“There is algae there but it is not toxic,” a spokesperson said.
“As there is algae bloom already present, we are keeping notices up as a precautionary measure.
“If people still wish to bring their dogs or walk them there it is fine, but do note the precautionary signs that are up,” she added.
Meanwhile, the lobby group Save Our Lough Derg (SOLD) has issued a warning to all hunters to be vigilant when shooting duck around the lake.
The warning came following the death of a Jack Russell shortly after ingesting the toxic algae on the Tipperary side of the scenic lake.
It took the family pet just minutes to die. Lough Derg attracts duck shooters from all over Clare, Galway and Tipperary every year.