An "immediate clean-up" must be carried out at Slaughterhouse River, with one city councillor saying it was "difficult to conceive how such an amount of rubbish has been allowed to build up at this point".
Fianna Fáil Galway City West councillor John Connolly called for the clean up, saying the amount of rubbish at the area was "unsightly" and "a threat to the natural environment and ecosystem of the river and connected waterways".
The Slaughterhouse River was so named because it flowed by the former city abattoir at the end of Abbeygate Street. Galwaywaterways.ie notes that it appears to start from under the bridge that connects Abbeygate Street with Newtownsmith. From there it flows next to Born and joins the segment of the Friar’s River that flows under the Born building. It then travels parallel to the Middle River as far as St Patrick’s primary school then passes under the Middle River and into the River Corrib.
Cllr Connolly noted the river was part of an "intricate connection of waterways" and that this made the littering and waste at the site all the more concerning, for both environmental and aesthetic reasons.
“The area where the river starts is extensively littered," he said. "The mess is clearly visible to pedestrians who cross the bridge between the car park in Newtownsmith and the Born building. This rubbish appears to have accumulated over some time and measures must be taken to prevent such abuse of the location into the future. We must ensure all our waterways are cleaned to the standards of European norms."
