Did nobody see Our Lady’s Island Lake becoming an ecological disaster? – Lawlor
Did nobody see Our Lady’s Island Lake becoming an ecological disaster? - Lawlor - The Labour Party
- Leadership void must be addressed now
Labour TD for Wexford George Lawlor has called for immediate action to rescue Our Lady’s Island Lake, following a damning report from the Environmental Protection Agency that revealed severe ecological damage to this protected lagoon due to nutrient over-enrichment. Deputy Lawlor said urgent leadership and the implementation of the report’s recommendations are needed to save this precious habitat for generations to come.
Deputy Lawlor said:
“Our Lady’s Island Lake is one of Wexford’s treasures — a designated priority habitat under the EU’s Habitats Directive. Yet today, this lagoon is choked by nutrient pollution, suffering from harmful algal blooms and fish kills. The EPA’s findings are a shocking wake-up call about the state of this site and similar lagoons nationwide.
“I was an elected member of Wexford Co. Council for 20 years and never once, in my memory, was the pollution of this wonderful lagoon raised or brought to the attention of members. How did this happen? How did we get to such an outrageous level of pollution without being informed before now?
“For too long, this issue has been allowed to drift while our wildlife, our environment and our communities pay the price. Who has allowed this to get to this terrible point? Why has there been no leadership on this?
“I don’t recall this issue ever being raised at Wexford County Council. How can we go from hearing nothing to facing a serious emergency overnight? This is an outrageous failure of oversight and transparency.
“The EPA has outlined clear, science-based measures to protect and restore the benthic quality of Our Lady’s Island Lake and other precious lagoons. These include reducing nutrient inflows, better catchment management, and proper monitoring. What is needed now is political will to match the science.
“If we allow the decline to continue, we risk losing specialised species forever, destroying vital feeding grounds for migratory birds and robbing local families and visitors of a safe, beautiful place to enjoy.
“We cannot accept this slow slide into ecological ruin. We owe it to the community and to future generations to do better. It is time for decisive, transparent action. I’m calling on Minister of State Christopher O’Sullivan to take responsibility, to follow the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommendations without delay and to ensure that Our Lady’s Island Lake is restored to the pristine condition that local people know and love.”