River Liffey ‘blue way’ plans hit a possible pollution snag
By Aideen O'Flaherty
PLANS for a Liffey blue way, which will incorporate Lucan and stretch as far as Chapelizod, Palmerstown and Kildare, have hit a snag after pollution was found in the River Liffey.
The creation of a tourism and leisure project along the River Liffey is currently at the feasibility study stage, meaning the viability of the project is currently being assessed.
South Dublin County Council carried out tests on the water over a number of months, with three upstream sites from Leixlip to Lucan Bridge being rated as ‘poor’.
Independent Lucan councillor Guss O’Connell told The Echo: “The blue way we’re proposing is modelled on the Wild Atlantic Way, where you can travel by car from one end to the other, stop off wherever you like, and there will be attractive historical items on display to entice you to stop.
“The revenue hasn’t been calculated, but in South Dublin County we’re the gateway to open spaces like lakes and mountains.”
Addressing the pollution that was found in the river, Cllr O’Connell added: “The pollution’s not terribly serious, it’s not as if there’s a huge pollution problem in the Liffey – it’s a relatively clean stretch of water.”
Cllr O’Connell added that there are also ambitions for the development of a Liffey Valley National Park which would incorporate the Phoenix Park.
As the planned blue way is only in its early stages, there is no definitive timeline for when it may be implemented or completed.
