Repeated river discolouration at Poddle looks like ‘nuclear’

THE repeated discolouration of the Poddle flowing through Bancroft Park has been described as looking “nuclear” by a local resident and park user, who claimed the waterway is being “neglected”.

Catherine Whelan walks in Bancroft Park most days and has grown increasingly frustrated at seeing what appears to be a pollutant flowing into the Poddle several times a week over the last few years.

Photos taken by Ms Whelan three weeks ago and published alongside this article show the Poddle with a milky-white and blue appearance, which she said is a cause for concern.

“The colour is nuclear,” she told The Echo. “It’s like when you use Dettol or Milton in water, it’s a milky-white/blue colour.

“During Covid it seemed to be quiet enough, but I’d say around 2021 or 2022 it started happening.

“It’s a worry, which is the opposite of what going out and walking outdoors is meant to do.

“I would be concerned, and I can’t even say where the pollution is stemming from. [The pollution] is very suspicious, and it’s very obvious.”

Another local resident and park user, Leo Oman, told The Echo last month that the issue was so bad that park users “have dogs and they can’t let them drink the water”.

Ms Whelan added that she has seen a change in the presence of wildlife around the Poddle since the effluent started to appear in the water.

“There were several different species of birds I used to see along the Poddle, but you don’t really see them anymore,” she explained.

“You see the odd one occasionally, but I think they realise that it’s obviously not a good habitat for them anymore and they leave.

“You rarely get a duck or anything there anymore, but you see a couple of finches some days.”

She added that she has contacted South Dublin County Council about the issue but to no avail and said: “It’s wrong that the Poddle’s being neglected”.

The Echo contacted South Dublin County Council for comment, but a response wasn’t received at the time of print.