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Mon 06 Jun 2010Salmon smolt rescue
THE Eastern Regional Fisheries Board (ERFB) has rescued over 5,000 salmon smolts from Ireland’s most polluted river. The lower section of the Avoca River in Co Wicklow is classed by the Environment Protection Agency as Class D with a Q value of one (very poor water quality) due to the impact of 250 years of mining at Avoca.
The river is the recipient of 35 litres of acid mine drainage per second emanating from the site. Since mining ceased in 1982, the workings have been allowed to flood, resulting in the release of untreated mine water.
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