How do we solve Lough Neagh's algae problem?

1. BBC News NI is focusing on the issues at Lough Neagh and how to fix them
2. The lough has been blighted by toxic blue-green algae since June
3. It is the largest freshwater lake in the UK and Ireland
4. It supplies half of Belfast's drinking water and 40% of Northern Ireland's overall
5. Lough Neagh is also home to the largest commercial wild eel fishery in Europe

Our day on Lough Neagh: What we've learned

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As the sun sets on a troubled Lough Neagh this evening, we're taking a minute to reflect on our coverage of the environmental pressures affecting the largest lake in the British Isles.

We've heard from fishermen and farmers, swimmers and scientists, getting to the heart of the issues and hearing what could, and should, be done to restore the lough.

• Pieter-Jan Schön from the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute tells us the single biggest source of pollution in the lough is agriculture
• The deputy president of the Ulster Farmers’ Union, John McClenaghan, says "we have to work collectively" to restore the lough
• William Taylor from Farmers For Action calls for Stormont "to get up and running", with a strong minister to "come in and crack the whip"
• James Orr from Friends of the Earth says people "would storm Westminster" if this happened elsewhere
• Claire Vincent at Stormont's environment department says the weather will dictate how soon swimming may be permissible again
• Gary McErlain, a seventh-generation Lough Neagh eel fisherman, says eel catches are down this year
• The man who owns the bed and soil of the lough - the Earl of Shaftesbury - says he would consider selling to the public - but he won't be giving it away
• As we hear households are buying bottled water, Northern Ireland's water authority insists tap water drawn from the lough is safe - you can check on our map to find out where yours comes from
• The Dutch blue-green algae solution would cost at least €500m says Miguel Dionisio, a senior researcher of aquatic ecology

That concludes our coverage for today but the saga of sorting Lough Neagh looks set to continue for the many weeks and months ahead. Thank you for joining us.

Today's live page was edited by Iain McDowell and Nalina Eggert, with reporting by Matt Fox and Finn Purdy, and Rebekah Wilson from Lough Neagh.

Our floating reporter ends her trip around Lough Neagh

Rebekah Wilson

Live page reporter at Lough Neagh

The weather was windy but when the sun broke through the clouds the journey around the south and west of Lough Neagh was breathtaking, allowing me to take in the magnitude of this place

The blight of blue-green algae has brought Lough Neagh into discussions for many people in Northern Ireland and some worry about the future of the lough.

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But for those who spoke to me today, this is their home, their place of work, their place of leisure and education. The changes in the lough are nothing new to them.

The overwhelming reaction from those I met was a long, drawn out sigh - locals say they're fed up with the treatment of the lough.

What was once a place of solitude is now a distant memory to them.

Who is raising concerns about the lough?

Environmentalists are worried that the pollution in Lough Neagh is killing the lake, with wildlife also suffering due to the algae blooms.

A few weeks ago some held a "wake" to highlight concerns the lough was dying. Angling groups also said it was putting their livelihoods at risk.

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Lough Neagh became part of the focus of a climate change demonstration this summer

Church leaders also back calls for a taskforce to be set up to address the algae blooms.

In a joint statement, the Catholic Archbishop Eamon Martin and Church of Ireland Archbishop John McDowell described the response as "too slow" and said the lough was facing an "environmental disaster".

Lough a 'massive loss' for long-distance swimmers

Mark Simpson

BBC News NI correspondent

Teenage long-distance swimmer Jessika Robson says the loss of the lough has had a big effect on her.

"It's a massive inconvenience not being able to swim in Lough Neagh," she says. "It's big, it has markers and you can swim for very long distances."

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Competitive open-water swimmers are now training at Camlough lake in County Armagh, Moira lake in County Down and coastal areas including Donaghadee and Newcastle, County Down.

Jessika, 17, recently swam the North Channel, from Northern Ireland to Scotland.

Coming up on BBC Newsline at 18:30

In the next few minutes you can watch our BBC Newsline special live from Lough Neagh on the environmental issues blighting the UK's largest freshwater lake.

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Tonight's headlines:

• The man who owns the commercial rights to Lough Neagh is prepared to sell it to the government - Tara Mills was speaking to the Earl of Shaftesbury ahead of tonight's programme
• As pollution threatens the lough, BBC News NI's agriculture and environment correspondent Louise Cullen talks us through the causes and solutions, with input from Prof Chris Elliott, Dr Adam Mellor, Dr Matthew Service and Dr Bróna McNeill
• Plenty more from Tara as she speaks to lough fisherman Gary McErlain and Peter Harper from the Lough Neagh Partnership
• What about Lough Neagh's wild swimmers? Our correspondent Mark Simpson has been catching up with one group who are reluctantly swimming in a lake near Moira - but they could be returning soon

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Tara and the team are getting ready to broadcast from the banks of Lough Neagh

Watch BBC Newsline live on BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC iPlayer at 18:30 BST

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• BBC Newsline - Watch live

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Dutch solution would cost at least €500m, says expert

Miguel Dionisio, a senior researcher of aquatic ecology in the Netherlands, tells BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra how Dutch officials tackled a similar blue-green algae outbreak during the 1970s.

"We were unable to produce drinking water from it until the government... decided to tackle the problem by starting to reduce the nutrient load into the water bodies coming from agriculture and industry," he says.

This was achieved by building "huge treatment plants" that are "like big factories that are able to filter the water by several cubic meters by second".

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The solution greatly improved the blue-green algae situation with underwater vegetarian and wildlife returning - an 80% improvement, he suggests.

The downside? He estimates it costs €100m (£86m) for each treatment plant and there would need to be one at each major river flowing into Lough Neagh - five plants in all.

And those funds, as we all know, just aren't available. So what's the cheaper option?

Restore the ecosystem by forming swamp areas, islands or creating a gradual land-to-water transition, says Miguel.

"But that only comes after the nutrient removal treatments... if you don't do anything about your nutrients, other types of measures will never help."

'As loughshore people we've been let down'

Rebekah Wilson

Live page reporter at Lough Neagh

On my travels around Lough Neagh I've spoken to people about the Earl of Shaftesbury, who owns the bed of lough, and his comment that he's open to selling it but won't be giving it away.

He told BBC News NI that he gets "blamed for things that are completely outside of my control" but wants to "do the right thing by the people living here and what's in the best interest of the lough".

A variety of organisations are involved in maintaining and conserving the lough - it goes far beyond the Earl.

One of the people I met in Ardboe was Declan, who said: "As loughshore people we’ve been completely let down by those involved.

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"Who buys the lough will probably not fix the issues - the people of the lough, the people that live here know what to do and we have been crying out for years.

"I sound like I have no hope but I do have hope because otherwise I wouldn't be able to cope any more."

Walkers at Battery Park said they’d buy the lough if they could. Gerard in Maghery said the ownership of the Lough was a major issue.

"It's not just the Earl who is involved," he told me. "There are too many people involved in this lough and they don’t know what it needs."

Why Lough Neagh matters

Louise Cullen

BBC News NI environment correspondent

There are plenty of reasons why the lough is important.

Not only is it the largest freshwater lake in the UK, it supplies a lot of Northern Ireland’s drinking water.

It is also a vast ecosystem, with barn owls and the endangered curlew found in its catchment area.

It is also home to the largest commercial wild eel fishery in Europe.

Read more: What does future hold for Lough Neagh?

How bad is the algae on Lough Neagh?

NIEA

Since May, toxic blue-green algae has been found in waterways at more than 60 locations.

Stormont's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs released maps and images to show the extent of the problem.

Algae has been found on all sides of Lough Neagh.

Read more: Map shows extent of Lough Neagh problems

National Trust 'deeply worried' about health of lough

Coney Island on Lough Neagh is owned by the National Trust. Diane Ruddock from the organisation says it's "a really, really special place".

But she tells BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra: "This summer we have been very concerned about the current health of Lough Neagh.

"We are monitoring the [wildlife] on the island. We don't want to see them suffering damage."

She says the effects of that what happens on the lough go much further than its shores, even stretching to the north coast where the River Bann, the only outlet for Lough Neagh, enters the Atlantic.

"The algal blooms over the summer are deeply, deeply worrying but they're a symptom of much wider issues around the protection of the lough and of our environment," says Diane.

"What happens on Lough Neagh is not just about that body of water - we’ve seen impact at Portstewart... and our teams up there have had to be particularly vigilant."

Where does my water come from?

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Lough Neagh supplies half of Belfast's drinking water and 40% of Northern Ireland's overall.

Since the blue-green algae began to appear on the lough, some have been worried that their tap water may not be safe to drink.

Northern Ireland's water authority says there are systems in place to remove the thread of the toxic bacteria.

Check our map to find the source of your water.

'I've known every blade of grass on this shore'

Rebekah Wilson

Live page reporter at Lough Neagh

Declan Coney spent his childhood in Ardboe, County Tyrone, walking along the lough shore, learning about the wildlife there.

"I think I was about 13 years of age and my father would have dropped me off at the Washing Bay at the south-west corner of Lough Neagh and I’d have walked it 'til half-10 at night to Ardboe.

"I knew every blade of grass along that lough shore. We’ve lost so much of the habitat. We've lost the butterflies, we've lost the birds and now the Lough Neagh fly."

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When it comes to the recent news about the blue-green algae on the lake, Declan says it's nothing new to people who live around it.

"The blue-green algae was visible this year but it's been here for over 40 years or more.

"But when I was a child we would be out on the lough and the water was clear - you could see the fish swimming in the water. This is total neglect."

Coming up on Evening Extra: Special reports from Lough Neagh

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Evening Extra on BBC Radio Ulster begins at 16:00 BST and will feature special reports from Lough Neagh.

Our reporter Julie McCullough has taken a traditional Lough Neagh cot (that's a flat-bottomed boat) out on to the water to hear from Pat Hughes about what life is like for locals living with the algae.

You can listen to Evening Extra by clicking the speaker button above, or on BBC Sounds.

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No pleasure boats to Coney Island

Rebekah Wilson

Live page reporter at Lough Neagh

I've made a stop on Coney Island. This would've been a very popular spot for people to take the boat to on Lough Neagh.

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Locals tell me they haven’t been on the island for years because there are no pleasure boats to take them and no incentive for them to go.

Right now the island is sparse of any wildlife - so far I’ve spotted one pheasant. All I can see on the lough from the island is the boat I arrived here on.

Watch: Why is the UK's largest lake turning toxic green?

A blue-green algal bloom over the summer has caused havoc, not just in Lough Neagh but right up to Northern Ireland's north coast.

But how did this happen? Watch below to get the lowdown in less than 120 seconds.

Why has Lough Neagh become green and toxic?

In pictures: Mourning for a 'dying' lough

PA Media

Last month environmental campaigners held a "wake" for Lough Neagh to highlight their fears for its future.

More than 100 protesters, many dressed in black, carried a coffin to the shoreline to represent their concerns that the lake is "dying" due to pollution.

Read more: Environmentalists hold 'wake' after algal blooms

PA Media

PA Media

Who is the Earl of Shaftesbury?

Since the 17th Century, the aristocratic Shaftesbury estate have owned the bed and soil of Lough Neagh.

The Earl of Shaftesbury, Nicolas Ashley-Cooper, is the 12th family member to hold the title.

However, he inherited the role as a result of a double family tragedy.

His father, Anthony, was murdered in France in 2004 at the behest of his third wife.

Then just months later, Nicholas’ brother Anthony, who had succeeded his father, died from a heart attack while visiting Nicholas in New York where he worked as a nightclub DJ

Read our piece from 2012, the last time there was a big public discussion about the future of the lough: Who should own Lough Neagh?

'We know it is too dangerous to go near'

Rebekah Wilson

Live page reporter at Lough Neagh

More now from some of the pupils of St Mary’s Primary School in Maghery who I have been speaking to...

Isla is 11 and has been learning about the lough at school. She says: “We know it is the biggest fresh water lough in the United Kingdom.

"We could do a lot of our practical science [school work] at the lough but we know it is too dangerous to go near it now”.

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If you're just joining us, here's what's happening

We're spending the day looking at Lough Neagh, the UK's largest freshwater lake, and the problems it's facing from pollution to climate change.

Our reporters are out and about and have heard from experts, people who live and work on the shoreline and the man who owns the lakebed, and our TV and radio programmes are coming live from the lough.

Simon McGill

Here are some of the key things you need to know about Lough Neagh:

• It's been blighted by toxic algae since June and experts say there's no quick fix for that
• Scientists are looking across the Atlantic for solutions, with a major lake on the US-Canada border suffering from the same problem
• Lough Neagh provides 40% of Northern Ireland's drinking water - we've looked at whether it's safe to consume
• The Earl of Shaftesbury, whose family have owned the bed and soil of Lough Neagh for generations, has spoken to BBC News NI - he's open to selling it but won't give it away

'Lough Neagh swim helped my chronic pain'

Mark Simpson

BBC News NI correspondent

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Swimmer Siobhan Keegan misses being able to swim in the lough as it helps her to cope with chronic pain.

"I feel very, very strongly about how Lough Neagh is suffering," she says.

"Everyone needs to unite in a common cause and save it before it's too late."

Read more: Wild swimming could return to Lough Neagh this winter