Concerns that fish in a North Tipperary river near Lough Derg may be affected in the long term by a pollution spill have been voiced by anglers, who want the substance identified.
The spill on a tributary which flows into the Nenagh river at Rockford, Co Tipperary, has taken the form of a foamy suds-like substance, at times several feet high.
The pollution is being investigated by North Tipperary County Council, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board.
Until now there has been a healthy stock of brown trout in the tributary and no fish kills, but anglers now want to know exactly what the contamination is.
The secretary of Ormonde Anglers, Mr Joe O'Donoghue, said yesterday he was not aware that the source had been located.
There were a lot of trout at the lower end of the tributary, and anglers wanted to know what the substance was.
"Certainly, it is important to know the cause of the pollution as it will give us an indication of any possible effects it will have on the fish long-term," he said.
The angling season had ended in September, and so they had not examined the fish, he said.
At the moment there were no fish kills, but they would not be able to tell if the fish would be affected in future.
For example, he said, if there was an oil spill, very often it was not until much later when somebody actually had the fish in the frying pan that diesel could be smelt.
This time there was a perfume smell.
The pollution looked like a soapy solution which seemed to float on the top of the water, but they did not know if it was below the surface.
"We certainly would like to know the source as well so that we can ensure it can't happen again. It happened a while ago on the same stretch," Mr O'Donoghue said.
They would have to wait for the substance to be identified and would then seek advice from the experts.
The tributary runs through the farm of Ms Charlotte Hanly and her husband, James, at Rockford.
Ms Hanly said that at the moment the rain had washed the pollution out and diluted it. There was still some foaming, which seemed to be localised.
Yesterday a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency said that samples had been taken from the water and were being examined at the moment.
They were also investigating where the possible source of the pollution could be.
Previously, a council spokesman said talks had taken place with a local company, but the source of the pollution could still not be established.
He added that initial tests seemed to indicate that the substance was not particularly harmful.