This is a subscriber-only article
Aurivo Co-Operative has confirmed that there was an “accidental discharge” of wastewater from its milk plant at Killygordon, Co Donegal, into a tributary to the River Finn. The incident was identified on Tuesday 12 September.
After being notified by Aurivo, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now investigating the discharge from the Donegal milk plant into the Crossroads Stream.
The notification was made to the EPA on Tuesday afternoon, a spokesperson from the agency confirmed.
The release from the Aurivo facility, which is licensed by the EPA, is understood to have killed as many as 1,000 fish.
The Crossroads Stream flows in a northerly direction, where it joins the River Finn near Killygordon, said the EPA.
Investigation
EPA staff from the office of environmental enforcement attended the site of the accidental release on Wednesday to investigate the incident and to identify what corrective actions now need to be taken at the facility.
The site inspection report will be available on the EPA website once completed.
The EPA said it is liaising with Donegal County Council and The Loughs Agency to assess the impact of the release from the Aurivo site on the waterway.
Samples have been taken for further analysis at the EPA laboratories.
EPA staff continue to investigate the cause of the incident.
“Aurivo greatly regrets this situation and has fully remediated the issue. The co-operative is engaging with the appropriate authorities, the Loughs Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency and key stakeholders,” an Aurivo spokesperson added.
SHARING OPTIONS: