Farm “litter”, including empty chemical drums, blue piping and plastic, is adding significantly to the pollution burden on the River Blackwater in Co. Tyrone.
That is according to members of Blackwater Paddle Sports, who have organised a number of litter picking events on the river between the Moy and Maghery in recent months.
Blackwater Paddle Sports committee member, Kate Curran, said: “The volumes of material in the water that emanate from adjoining farms are highly significant.
“The River Blackwater is amazing resource which can be enjoyed by everyone.
“The members of Blackwater Paddle Sports are doing their best to ensure this objective can be achieved.”
The organisation is funded by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.
All of the litter collected is taken to local recycling centres if possible according to Curran .
She detailed that a photographic record of all of the collected materials is kept.
These pictures are then forwarded to Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful as evidence of the litter clean-up work that the group is involved in.
The Blackwater Paddle Sports is all about delivering fun opportunities for people of all ages, who simply want to get out on to the water with their kayaks and paddle boards.
Curran said: “At first, we were in awe of the beauty of the river – its amazing birdlife at every corner, grand stately homes overlooking the river and old classic style bridges every few miles.
“But as is the case with all rivers, lakes and roads, we realised that we had to do something about the huge amount of litter strewn along the Blackwater’s banks.
“Our committee then successfully applied for a marine litter grant of £2,800 from Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, which we used to purchase two double kayaks, plus equipment, and began our monthly litter pick programme along the river.”
Members of Blackwater Paddle Sports were assisted by groups of local children along with two local football clubs – An Port Mor and Moy GAC, and gathered 25kg plastic, 30kg of wooden posts and 30kg of non-recyclable litter.
There were a lot of polythene sheets and feeding buckets blown into the river by the wind and roughly 30 footballs collected.
“For our future litter picks we hope to involve groups from all sides of the community along the river,” Curran added.