AN AWARD-WINNING building firm has been spared a criminal conviction after accidental pollution caused a fish kill in the River Camac in Dublin.
Dublin District Court heard that 1,000 fish died near the Saggart waterworks on 23 August last year.
Coffey Construction Ltd, based in Athenry, Co Galway, pleaded guilty in September to causing deleterious matter to enter the Camac.
Judge Anthony Halpin noted the firm had no prior convictions and co-operated with IFI.
He was given confirmation today that Coffey Construction paid €6,300 toward prosecution costs and donated €500 to the Little Flower Penny Dinners charity.
He applied the Probation of Offenders Act.
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) prosecuted the firm after discovering the dead fish in the river, a tributary of the Liffey.
The kill resulted in the deaths of 500 brown trout, 250 crayfish native to Ireland, and 250 lampreys.
Judge Anthony Halpin heard the contractor was working for Uisce Éireannat a water treatment facility, Ireland’s largest covered reservoir.
It had been carrying out a process in the plant when a mechanical failure led to a discharge of pure chlorine from a pipe into the river.
The court heard the pipes are now double bunged to prevent it from happening again.
The defence asked the judge to consider that Coffey Construction Ltd, focussed on waterworks and tendering for future projects, could be affected by having a court conviction.
In a mitigation plea, the firm’s solicitor said Coffey Construction employed 350 staff and had won awards from various bodies.
The builder also participated in voluntary works, including a clean-up of a local river in Athenry, where the firm is based.
Commenting on the court prosecution, Dr Ronan Matson, Eastern Director at IFI, had said: “Fish kills often result from human occurrences and are a needless and avoidable waste of the State’s existing natural resources.
“The ripple effect of ecological damage on biodiversity is long-lasting – at a time of rapid environmental change.
“IFI staff deploy an emergency response to any fish kill incident. It is crucial that any signs of concern are reported to IFI immediately to its 24/7 number, 0818 34 74 24.
“This enables officers to respond swiftly, find a cause, and prosecute those responsible.”
IFI is the State’s agency responsible for protecting, managing, and conserving Ireland’s inland fisheries and sea-angling resources.
It was formed on 1 July 2010, following the amalgamation of the Central Fisheries Board and the seven Regional Fisheries Boards into a single agency.
Ireland has over 74,000 kilometres of rivers and streams and 128,000 hectares of lakes, all of which fall under the agency’s jurisdiction.
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