Call to action to tackle the prospect of a 'toxic goo lagoon' in Wexford

LAST UPDATE | 18 Jun

THE DÁIL HAS been told of the ongoing ecological crisis at Our Lady’s Island Lake in Co Wexford, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin pledging that action will be taken. 

Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman told the Dáil that the lake risks becoming a “toxic goo lagoon” if the Government does not act. 

Lady’s Island Lake in Wexford is Ireland’s largest saltwater lake, but experts have repeatedly warned that an “ecological disaster” is unfolding there due to pollution caused by agricultural runoff. 

The lake now has pockets of algae dotted around it and has a smell. 

One expert recently warned that the lake is “from many points of view” dead. 

Roderic O'Gorman raising the issue in the Dáil today Oireachtas.ie Oireachtas.ie

The area is a place of pilgrimage and is designated as both a Special Protection Area and a Special Area of Conservation.

As a result of excessive nutrients in the water from agricultural runoff, algae have bloomed at such a scale that is has blocked out light and killed the plants growing in the lakebed. This has, in turn, resulted in the animals that lived on the seabed being wiped away.

The issue was raised during Leaders’ Questions today by O’Gorman, who urged the Taoiseach to take urgent action.

He noted the comments of Dr Cillian Roden last year, who said the “situation is so bad that the lagoon’s glow can be seen from space.”

An aerial view of Ireland’s largest saltwater lagoon Lady’s Island Lake. PA PA

O’Gorman also made the point that this is not a new environmental catastrophe and highlighted newspaper reporting on the issue from the 1980s. 

“This has been a problem in the making for over 40 years, a problem that’s been allowed to continue. All the various enforcement and accountability arms of the State – local authority, inspections, Teagas – all the state mechanisms, have failed to protect Lady’s Island Lake,” he said.

Our Lady's Island Lake, 2020 Alamy Alamy

He urged the Taoiseach to task the Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon to take the lead on this issue. 

In response, the Taoiseach told the Dáil that it must be a priority to reverse the pollution of the lake. 

He said a specific action plan should be developed, and that this should be led by TD Christopher O’Sullivan, the junior minister responsible for biodiversity. 

The Taoiseach also signalled that such a plan “may involve financial intervention”.

“It’s not satisfactory that you would have that ecological devastation at such an important site,” the Taoiseach said.