The biggest of the Republic's world-famous Lakes of Killarney is facing a serious new threat from continuing phosphorous pollution.
For the first time in six years Lough Keane could this summer develop a toxic algae bloom. When that last happened, in 1997, the hundreds of thousands of tourists that flock into the Co Kerry town on an annual basis had to be warned to stay away from the shores of the lake to avoid the possibility of being poisoned.
Pleas from environmentalists and scientists to end the contamination have so far been overlooked by farmers, local authorities and householders - as well as the tourism industry itself.
Farming gets the main blame for the phosphorous menace from Killarney's green lobby as the result of a three-year-long study that pinpointed poor practice in the storage and spreading of slurry in the Lough Keane catchment area.
But hotels and bed-and-breakfast establishments that thoughtlessly discard waste fats and oils into the area's sewerage system also share culpability, with household septic tanks and forestry methods being accused as well.
Mr David Lenihan, senior executive chemist with Kerry County Council, warned over the weekend "If the level of phosphorous in the lake increases above a critical limit, and given warm and wet weather conditions, there is a very real risk of algal blooms."
Estimates indicate that as much as 30 tonnes of phosphorous leak into Lough Keane each year - and just 20 tonnes is enough to create the bloom.
The holiday trade is now being urged to use phosphate-free detergents and farmers to keep a closer eye on their slurry outlets.
It is reckoned that the cost of cleaning up the lake could add up to as much as 15 million euro, and a lot more would have to be invested in improving farm practices.
For their part, the farmers want the Department of Agriculture to come up with funding and there have been calls, too, for a reduction of VAT payable on phosphate-free detergents.
PA