AQW 27320/17-22 Written question to the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs what actions his Department is taking to address a series of pollution incidents affecting Ward Park, Bangor.
Asked by Andrew Muir MLA on 13 December 2021
- Answered
- Written
- After due date
- Priority
- Tabled
- 13 December 2021
- Answer due by
- 21 December 2021
- Answered
- 7 January 202225 days after tabling
- Priority question
- Yes
Answer
The catchment area of the waterway that flows through Ward Park in Bangor is approximately 10km2 in size, is largely urbanised, with a significant proportion being culverted underground. Since 1 January 2016, Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) have on average investigated 6 water pollution reports each year in the river and given the enclosed nature of the waterway coupled with the intermittent nature of the discharges, often little or no evidence remains to allow investigatory staff to trace the discharged matter back upstream to a specific source. From the evidence available, NIEA believe that the greater proportion of the significant incidents observed in Ward Park relate to operations being carried out by businesses within the Industrial Estates upstream.
NIEA have undertaken a scoping study which has identified in the region of 200 industrial and commercial premises operating in the river catchment upstream of Ward Park. Balloo Industrial Estate has been added to the NIEA Pollution Prevention Team’s priority work list and a systematic risk identification and action programme is underway.
Inspectors have been engaging with businesses in the Balloo Industrial Estate and a number are now carrying out works to remove potential sources of pollution or minimise the risk of pollution incidents from occurring. Any business found through that programme to be either causing, or at risk of causing, water pollution will be required to take action to stop it, or minimise the risk of water pollution from occurring. The progress made to date has been encouraging however further work is required and ongoing.
Thank you for your continued interest in this matter and should you or your constituents become aware of any information that would be useful in respect of sourcing any of these discharges, please contact NIEA, in confidence via the Incident Hotline on 0800 807060.