How do we solve Lough Neagh's algae problem?
Edited by Iain McDowell and Nalina Eggert, with reporting by Matt Fox and Finn Purdy, and Rebekah Wilson from Lough Neagh
Edited by Iain McDowell and Nalina Eggert, with reporting by Matt Fox and Finn Purdy, and Rebekah Wilson from Lough Neagh
Live Reporting
All times stated are UK
Goodbye GMU from a silent fisher
The beauty of the lough is still in evidence.
As they were packing up to leave their OB (that's an outside broadcast), the Good Morning Ulster team sent us this photo of a heron silently hunting.
No catch and release for this angler - it will eat whatever it gets.
Good Morning Ulster has finished but William Crawley will be discussing the lough at midday on Talkback, as part of our day-long coverage of Lough Neagh.
And we'll be with you online throughout the day.
'Everybody's responsible'
DUP Mid-Ulster MLA Keith Buchanan says that when Edwin Poots was Deara minister he “put in controls” in relation to farmers spreading slurry and that £40m has been spent on soil sampling to indicate where farmers should and should not be spreading further nutrients into the soil.
“The narrative I’m hearing every day is intensive farming,” he says, but “everybody’s responsible”.
In the same discussion, Sinn Féin National Chairperson and South Antrim MLA Declan Kearney, calls for a “multi-agency and interdepartmental strategy” to be put in place to address issues with the lough.
He describes what is happening as an “ecological catastrophe” and says mechanisms must be put in place to “guarantee the long-term sustainability of the lough”.
What are politicians doing about the problem?
Right now, calls for Lough Neagh to be put into public ownership are being spearheaded by councillors.
A motion by the Green Party’s Brian Smyth for the public acquisition of the lough was passed by Belfast City Council last month.
A working group to tackle the algae blooms will also be set up in Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Council.
Northern Ireland has not had a functioning government since February 2022.
But the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) have launched a recall petition to call MLAs back to the assembly chamber over the “ecological crisis” at the lough.
It calls for a long-term recovery plan to be put in place, but will require at least 30 signatures before it can be debated.
Households buying bottled water
Several pupils at St Trea's Primary School at Ballymaguigan say their parents have been buying bottled water instead of drinking tap water which is sourced from Lough Neagh.
Lough Neagh supplies half of Belfast's drinking water and 40% of Northern Ireland's overall.
You can check on our map whether your water comes from the lough or not.
NI Water say the water is safe - they say increased levels of algae can cause an unusual taste and smell to water from your tap but do not pose a risk to health.
They have said that the water treatment works which use Lough Neagh as their raw water sources are designed with the potential for algae to be present, and treatment processes are in place to manage this effectively.
These include filtration and the addition of ozone and chlorine.
'I thought the smell was a gas leak'
Lough Neagh can been seen from the windows of St Trea's Primary School in Ballymaguigan, and when the algal bloom was at its height in the summer, Principal Susan Conroy says she mistook the smell from the lough for a gas leak in the school.
Lough bed owner would sell for the right price
Tara Mills
BBC News NI
The man who owns the bed and soil of Lough Neagh has said he would consider selling to the public - but he won't be giving it away.
The ownership has been in the Earl of Shaftesbury's estate for centuries.
He admits: "My ownership has always been very divisive and quite political and I always get blamed for things that are completely outside of my control.
"I feel it's often used as an excuse for political inaction and I always want to do the right thing by the people living here and what's in the best interest of the lough."
A decade ago, rights to the lough were valued at £6m but civil servants were advised not to sell - it's not clear why.
Read more about the earl's position here.
New measures to protect the lough 'would need executive sign-off'
Owen Lyttle, director of marine and fisheries at the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) says the actions his department can take are limited due to budget pressures and the lack of an executive.
His team have been monitoring the issue over the summer to give advice to other agencies and the public, for example when algae has moved down the River Bann and impacted bathing waters at beaches causing them to be closed.
He tells Good Morning Ulster they have set up a panel of experts to do a review of existing policies and look at possible measures that could be brought forward if and when Northern Ireland has a functioning executive again.
'Crying shame' that this has happened again
Good Morning Ulster’s business reporter Sara Neil has been speaking to Gary McErlain, a seventh generation Lough Neagh eel fisherman, who calls Lough Neagh a "very special place" to him.
He says eel catches are down this year, and it's a “crying shame” that algae on this scale has been allowed to happen but it's not the first time.
He recalls his father telling him of algae blooms in the late 1960s that were so bad they could barely get out on the boats to fish.
“Something has broken down, whether that’s governance or policy but something’s not working if we’re here again.”
People 'would storm Westminster' if this happened elsewhere
James Orr of the environmental organisation Friends of the Earth says that “people would be storming Westminster” if the situation at Lough Neagh was happening anywhere else in the UK.
He tells Good Morning Ulster that it “just wouldn’t be allowed to happen” elsewhere, but says that Northern Ireland has pursued a strategy of “agricultural expansion at any cost”.
Mild weather may delay a return to swimming
Mark Simpson
BBC News NI
Swimmers have not been able to use the lough since June.
Claire Vincent at DAERA says the weather will dictate how soon swimming might be permissible again.
Asked if it could take months or years, she said: "I'm hoping that they'll be able to get back in the lough in months, but there's a bit of a question mark over that, because it just depends how mild an autumn we have.”
Local people 'saddened and angered'
SDLP Councillor Denise Johnston represents Moyola, an area that borders the lough. She tells Good Morning Ulster that local people “have been very saddened and angered” by the situation at Lough Neagh.
She says there are swimmers who can’t go for a swim, paddleboarders who can’t go out paddleboarding, and local businesses such as the eel fisheries who are suffering financially as a result of the pollution and algae.
We'll be hearing from people around the lough
Many people around the shores of Lough Neagh rely on the lake for business and pleasure. We'll be hearing from them through today on the radio, TV and here in the digital live page.
'Not just farmers to blame'
Also speaking on Good Morning Ulster is Michael Meharg, a farmer whose farm runs down to the shores of Lough Neagh. He says he is concerned about the future of the lough.
Farmers have a responsibility for the land, he says, but he has called on the government to provide funding for measures that farmers can take to improve the quality of the water. He also says it’s not just farmers who are responsible for the pollution.
You can listen back to Good Morning Ulster by clicking on the speaker button at the top of the page.
Agriculture 'single biggest source' of pollution
Pieter-Jan Schön who is Director of Environment & Marine Sciences Division at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute has told Good Morning Ulster that the single biggest source of pollution in the lough is agriculture.
He says that in a study conducted a couple a years ago, 62% off nutrient run-off across Northern Ireland was shown to come from agricultural sources.
That's phosphorous and nitrogen for the most part, which farmers use to help crops grow. But in the wrong place, they help algae grow and throw the lough out of balance.
Click on the speaker button above to listen to the programme live until 09:00 (interview at 07:05).
First light at the lough
What’s gone wrong at the lough?
Louise Cullen
BBC NI Agriculture & Environment Correspondent
There are a number of factors causing problems at Lough Neagh – the most striking of which is blue-green algae.
It bloomed across the lough and the north coast during the summer due to settled weather, invasive species and water pollution mostly due to agriculture.
It can be harmful to humans and highly toxic to animals.
The lough is also showing effects of climate change, with temperatures now more than a degree higher than in 1995.
Where can I follow along?
Throughout the day, BBC News NI outlets will be analysing the problems at Lough Neagh.
To kick off our radio coverage, Good Morning Ulster are broadcasting live from Ballyronan until 09:00 BST.
At 12:00, William Crawley will be joined by guests to discuss who is responsible for the problems at Lough Neagh on Talkback.
Then from 16:00, Evening Extra will bring our radio coverage to a close with a two-hour programme live from the lough.
On TV, Newsline will explore the issues in-depth with special reports focusing on the future on the lough.
And of course, the BBC News NI website will keep you up to date throughout the day with our live page, as well as written pieces and video content from our journalists.
Welcome to our Lough Neagh coverage
Good morning and welcome to our special Lough Neagh coverage.
Throughout the day, we’ll be looking at the different issues affecting the largest inland body of water in the British Isles.
Concerns have been raised about wildlife and people’s livelihoods after a number of blue-green algae blooms have been spotted at the lough and elsewhere across Northern Ireland during the summer.
There were also bathing bans in areas around the lough.
Stay with us as we bring you content from across the BBC News NI newsroom.