Three-quarters of Northern Ireland's rivers are polluted beyond acceptable levels, Northern Ireland Assembly members have heard this month. In tests carried out between 2005-2007, rivers were graded from A to F. Those rated C and under were considered to be below standard. More than 200 were C or below, including Crawfordsburn, Bloody Bridge River, the Lagan and the Bann.
However, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has rejected claims that it is not doing enough to stop pollution. The figures were released after a query from SDLP Assembly member Thomas Burns, but Mark Livingstone from the NIEA said they did not give the full picture. "Based on the 2007 data about 70% of the rivers throughout Northern Ireland are good or better, that's A or B class. Now the person that asked for that information unfortunately only asked for C class and below - so yes you've got the risk of failures and poor health, but we've got plans to fix these problems and we'll fix them as quickly as we can."
The Crawfordsburn River and the popular County Down Country Park were rated D on a biological test and C on a chemical test. At a sample point at the Con O'Neill Bridge in East Belfast, the Connswater River was graded E on the biological test. The River Lagan failed tests at numerous sample points. More than 60 rivers also failed to meet the quality criteria outlined under the EU freshwater fish Directive 2006/44/EC, with regard to supporting fishlife. These included, the Upper and Lower Bann, the Erne River in Enniskillen and the Silent Valley Reservoir.
