Donegal County Council has confirmed a pollution incident involving slurry in the St Johnston area following a complaint yesterday from a member of the public who reported cattle slurry in a stream known as the St Johnston Burn, as it passed through the village.
An investigation by the council in conjunction with the Loughs' Agency traced the source of the polluting matter to a farm about 8km upstream of the village, where the Council says, an unknown quantity of slurry was released the previous day.
Fisheries Officers found what they describe as a "significant quantity" of dead juvenile fish in the lower section of the Burn as it discharges into the River Foyle.
The Loughs' Agency and Donegal County Council are continuing to monitor the situation and say that the incident has "highlighted the importance for farmers and contractors to take extreme care to avoid the discharge of slurry and contaminated water into water-courses, during what is a very busy time for them, and to immediately report any accidental discharges to the Council and either the Lough's Agency or Inland Fisheries Ireland".
