LETTER: OPW response on Bandon River fish pass ‘an insult'

SIR – I wish to respond to the comments made by the OPW in their response within your front page article titled ‘Bandon River's fish pass is described as butchery by local environmentalist.’

The OPW's response which read ‘the proposal to remove the weir could have delayed the completion of the flood relief scheme by years’ is just an insult to anyone’s intelligence. 

How could removing the weir take longer than removing half of it and then laboriously and extensively constructing a monstrous fish pass that better resembles a whale pass instead? 

I think the penny has dropped in many people’s minds about this whole project and questions need to be asked as to why the OPW decided to take the most expensive and environmentally-destructive route in rolling out the flood scheme.

The river bed below Bandon is completely dead and devoid of all natural life. It has been noted by environmentalists that the rock armouring going all the way down the river stretch is completely over the top and severe, which will make any type of environmental recovery almost impossible.

It’s almost like no EIS was ever done here as there have been no concessions to environmental protection, and no effective mitigation measures.

How did it all come to this? Will the OPW ever change their ways?

Simon Toussifar,

Recreational fly fisherman,

Kinsale.