A Co. Down farmer has pleaded guilty in court to a water pollution incident which resulted in a fish kill in the River Lagan.
Alan Wilson from Lurgan Road, Dromore was convicted yesterday (Tuesday, February 6) at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court for a water pollution offence.
The farmer was fined £750 and must pay a £15 offenders’ levy, together with £960.64 by way of compensation to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) as a result of the fish kill.
The 56-year-old was charged under Article 7(1)(a) of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 as amended for the offence of making a polluting discharge to a waterway.
Court
The court heard that dead fish were discovered in the River Lagan, on the evening of August 23, 2022.
The following day a senior water quality inspector acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) observed dead fish in the waterway and dead fish on the riverbed.
An investigation discovered a black plastic pipe discharging brown coloured farm effluent to the River Lagan.
The contamination was caused by urea fertiliser entering the river via storm drainage systems on Wilson’s farm.
The court was told that there was a strong odour of ammonia detected from the effluent.
A tripartite statutory sample from the scene was collected and analysed.
The water sample was found to contain poisonous, noxious, or polluting matter which was potentially harmful to fish life in the waterway.
Following the case, DAERA reminded landowners that it is an offence under the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 to make a polluting discharge to a waterway.
Anyone wishing to report a pollution incident can call the 24 hour Incident Hotline on: 0800 80 70 60.