A grant of €20,000 has been allocated to deal with the African pond weed which is currently threatening the water and wildlife of Lough Corrib.
The weed in question, also known as Lagarosiphon major weed, could cause extreme risk to the clean water supply to Galway city and the surroundings towns and villages, according to Cllr Terry O’Flaherty.
“It could heighten the risk of flooding due to the uncontrollable growth,” she said. “There are many other potential hazards that this could affect such as the loss of habitat and spawning grounds for our world-renowned salmon and trout fisheries due to the aggressive colonisation of the weed.”
She said another area of concern is that it could cause significant reduced revenue from tourism in the local area, which attracts numerous anglers throughout the year.
Cllr O’Flaherty has also called on the Department of the Environment said to help City Hall and provide further funding to help tackle this problem.
