New £30,000 project aims to undo local river damage

AN environmental project will begin later this month in an effort to heal some of the damage done to local waterways by two devastating agricultural spills over the last five years.

In 2018, the Owenreagh river and Drumragh river were poisoned when a slurry tanker ruptured on Dooish Road, Dromore, causing its toxic contents to flow into a nearby stream, which then ran into the two larger rivers, killing thousands of trout and salmon.

Three years later in 2021, the health of the Auglish River was again compromised after it was contaminated by another major agricultural incident.

Later this month, over £30,000 will be used to improve the banks and beds of the Auglish river.

It is hoped this will have a positive impact on the Owenreagh and Drumragh rivers too, as well as all the larger waterways into which they flow.

Speaking with the UlsterHerald earlier this week, Omagh Anglers Association secretary Terry Smithson explained the nature of the work being undertaken, who is carrying it out, and the impact it is likely to have for both fishermen and local people.

“Believe it or not, the health of the Auglish River – and other tributaries like it – is crucial to the overall welfare of the whole Foyle system,” Mr Smithson began.

According to the club secretary, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has put forward around £26,000 for the project, the Omagh Anglers Association has given just under £5,000, and the Loughs Agency has also made a significant contribution.

“The Auglish river does not belong to Omagh Anglers, but we, along with the Loughs Agency, will be supervising the work that is being done to improve its banks and beds.

“After the two catastrophic fish kills in 2018 and 2021, we seen just how many fish the Auglish actually holds.

“We found carcasses belonging to trout of all ages and sizes, and salmon, too. It really drove home just how good of a spawning ground this part of the river is,” Mr Smithson said.

The work that is planned includes rebuilding worn-away parts of the bank, spreading stones and gravel on the river bed to facilitate spawning, and implementing measures to prevent cattle from entering the river.

“When cattle get into the river to drink from it, they trample the bed, kick up silt, and carry in muck and earth that can clog spaces that would otherwise make for good spawning ground.

“Part of what we will be doing is erecting cattle trays so that they don’t have to get into the river to access drinking water,” the angler said.

Permission for the project has been granted by the relevant authorities and an experienced contractor has been tendered to carry out the work.

“The work will start this month and should be finished by next month,” Mr Smithson said.

“In terms of the benefits, anglers will hope that in a year or two we will see the number of salmon in this part of the river rise, and hopefully we will see a growth in the trout population as well.

“For the rest of the community, we hope that once they see that money and time are being spent on nurturing our rivers, they will take more care of it, too.”

Terry emphasised the potential of rivers in this part of the country.

“It was only after the big fish kill of the 1990s that we seen what our rivers had to offer. It was obvious at that point that we have some of the best rivers in Ireland.

“We should be exploiting this: It could be a serious tourism draw, and it could be a big boost for the local economy.”