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// Mussels colony wiped out after Delphi Bridge Repairs

Ireland's largest colony of rare freshwater pearl mussels, in the Bundorragh River in County Mayo, may have been destroyed because of repair works on a bridge near Delphi Bridge, a well known fishing retreat.
While improvement works were being carried out on the bridge during heavy rainfall last November, the river flooded and the contents of 36 sandbags spilled into the water. This smothered the young mussels 'in a matter of hours', according to a report compiled by Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE), a lobby group.

An estimated 2m freshwater pearl mussels out of the national population of 13m were located within 2 kilometres of the Delphi Bridge. The Bundorragh is designated for protection under the EU Habitats Directive because the mussels, thought to be Ireland's oldest surviving species, are endangered. Approximately 90% have disappeared in the past century.

The Report by Tony Lowes, a director of FIE, accuses the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Mayo County Council of failing to act on advice provided by several scientists, who recommended that the proposed works be changed or postponed until the summer to minimise the risk to the mussels.

FIE has sent the Report to the European Commission, saying that this is an example of Ireland's failure to implement the European law and has led to an 'environmental disaster' at the site.

Correspondence between the NPWS and the council, obtained by FIE under the Freedom of Information Act, reveals that three scientists gave a negative assessment of the proposed repair works. Aine O'Connor, a freshwater ecologist at the NPWS and an expert on the species, said in October 2010 that plans to repair the bridge represented a 'significant and serious risk to the freshwater pearl mussel downstream'.

A revised proposal was drawn up in July 2011, but O'Connor concluded that the 'the risk to the mussels have significantly increased as a result'.

Evelyn Moorkens, an expert contacted by the Council, urged that the proposed repair be abandoned until risks to the mussel population were addressed. Paul Johnston, an engineer from Trinity College Dublin, said there 'real and significant risks from a storm event'.

Despite warnings, consent was given by the Department of Arts, Heritage, and the Gaeltachta, which overseas the NPWS, for work to proceed last October. Some 117 mm of rain fell on November 17, creating a wash out at the bridge.

John Condon, Mayo's county Secretary, said the Council 'categorically rejects the content, accusations, and conclusions contained in Mr. Lowes' Report'. He said the consequences of not maintaining the Bridge would have resulted in more serious damage to the river and its environs.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht said the NPWS 'continues to be concerned about the possible impact the event may have had on the freshwater pearl mussel community, and the ongoing risk of a Bridge collapse'. A scientific survey of the mussel population 'will take place as soon as water levels permit staff to enter the river,' she said.

Ciara Kenny,

Sunday Times 12.02.12

 

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Added: 12/02/2012
Added By: Tony Lowes
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Tony on 21/02/2012

Council deny work wiped out mussel colony

Mayo County Council have described as ‘totally false' claims by the Friends of the Irish Environment that work they carried out on a bridge near Delphi resulted in a rare colony of freshwater pearl mussels being destroyed.
A report compiled by the Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) claimed that the contents of 36 sandbags spilled into the Bundorragha River and smothered the young mussels in a ‘matter of hours'. The alleged incident occurred last November when Mayo County Council were carrying out repairs on a bridge but had to abandon the work after heavy rainfall.
An article which appeared in The Sunday Times claimed that the Council and the National Parks and Wildlife Services failed to act on advice provided by several scientists, who recommended that the proposed work be changed or postponed until the summer.

However, Joe Beirne, Director of Services with Mayo County Council denied that they had ignored scientific advice and told The Mayo News that it was ‘untrue' advice was ignored or that pollution was caused to the river.


"The headlines which suggest that millions of species were wiped-out is totally false," he explained. "We had approval from the NPWS to do the work but we got caught in a storm and we immediately dismantled what we did. There is no way that any permanent damage was caused."
Mr Beirne said they carried out all the necessary environmental requirements and would consult with the NPWS and Irish Fisheries before recommencing work on the bridge in the summer.
An estimated two million freshwater pearl mussels out of the national population of 13 million were located within two kilometres of the Delphi Bridge. The Bundorragha is designated for protection under the EU Habitats Directive because the mussels, thought to be Ireland's oldest surviving species, are endangered. Approximately 90 per cent have disappeared in the past century.
The report was compiled by Tony Lowes, a director of FIE.

Anton McNulty
Tuesday, 14 February 2012 11:34


FIE RESPONSE
The Editor,
Mayo News

Re: Council deny work wiped out mussel colony

The Director of Services of Mayo County Council, Joe Beirne, has no more idea that anyone else of the extent of the damage to the mussel colony below the bridge in the Delphi Valley after the 'wash out' of construction works on the site last November. ['Council deny work wiped out mussel colony', Tuesday, 14 February]

Nor did our report make such a claim. What I actually wrote was:

"The fisheries officer said that 36 of the one tonne bags had emptied into the river from the Doolough and a similar amount at the bridge area. In spite of the guarantee that the contents of the sand bags would be sand quarried fresh especially for this purpose, he said the 'sand in the bags had a very high clay content, likening it to 'pottery clay' and said it "wasn't sand as he knew it."' Clay released onto the mussel beds would smother the young. "

While Mayo County Council refused to release any files to us, extensive documentation obtained from the Department of Arts, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht tell the story of a series of refusals for permission for the works by the National Parks and Wildlife Service [NPWS] beginning in 2010. They record that the NPWS gave their consent after a meeting on 6 October 2011 in which County Manager Peter Hynes told the NPWS that he would take legal action against them if they did not do so.

No engineer's report was ever produced to show the need for urgent repairs because of the danger of a collapse and no weight restriction were ever put on the bridge, a minimum step if such a danger was present.

The consent was subsequently given by NPWS against the repeated refusal to approve the project – in spite of numerous changes – by the NPWS in-house fresh water pearl mussel expert, the country's leading consultant on the mussel, a top hydro-geologist engineer from Trinity College Dublin, and a senior administrator in the NPWS.

European law requires that such projects can not take place unless there is no reasonable scientific doubt that there will not be damage to protected animals. In this case, there was unanimous scientific doubt clearly and repeated expressed by the relevant scientists.

Until water levels fall and a survey can be undertaken no one will know the damage to the only colony of the oldest living animal in Ireland which was still able to reproduce.

What we do know is that the work was a breach of European Environmental law – and a flagrant disregard of scientific opinion. The Report is available from the library on our website, as it was to the Sunday Times and yourselves.

Yours, etc.,

Tony Lowes
Director,
Friends of the Irish Environment,
Kilcatherine,
Eyeries, County Cork

www.friendsoftheirishenvironment.org

Article Rating: 1 / 5

Matt on 14/02/2012

Awful, awful news.

Article Rating: 1 / 5

Elaine on 12/02/2012

Speechless, just speechless.

Article Rating: 1 / 5

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