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Bleach Lough Campaigners gone to Brussels

category limerick | environment | news report author Monday February 26, 2007 12:46author by Ken - Supporter

A number of people from Kildimo/Pallaskenry are off to Brussels today .

A group of protestors are in Brussels today to bring their case in front of the petitions commity in an effort to retain our local Natural Spring Water Supply. We have been campaigning for a very long time and will go on doing so until we ARE able to retain what we have had for hundreds of years. They will be meeting our MEP's and others while there and hopefully will get a good response from them. Early last year we had the Limerick County Council threatening to put our people in Prison for trying to protect what they believe is their right to protect under an EU Directive ' Water is not a commercial product but a heritage which must be protected, defended and valued'. We like pther people in a similar position have to do this in order to protect the future of their families and their communities. We hope that when they come back home tommorow that they will get more local support from our polliticians, remember the ellections guys and gals.

Watch this space.

Comments (4 of 4)

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author by Mick Butlerpublication date Mon Feb 26, 2007 21:48author address author phone

I am a little familiar with this issue and it is riddled with holes of corruption. By the way Ken have the EPA had their snouts in this one ? And have they issued any statements or recommendations ? I am tracking their performance, Dan Brennan in Kilkenny is not impressed with them, he was in Brussels himself two weeks ago. Any info is appreciated, M B.

author by ken - supporterpublication date Fri Mar 02, 2007 23:40author address author phone

I do hope that the 'holes of corruption' that you refer to are got to do with the corruption that Limerick County Council are involved in by trying to steal our Natural Spring Water Supply from our communities. Just a little background as I see it Mick, way back in the early eighties the council started rumours about intending to change our water supply from Bleach Lough to a far inferiour water supply from the River Deel. Our locals made their feelings known to the council them, but the council did not listen. So our people started back then with a long and difficult campaign in order to retain our Spring Water. Todate we have had numerous fund raisers and collections in an effort to stop the council in what they were trying to do. Even last year our local Limerick County Council dragged our ordinary people up to the High Courts in Dublin in an effort to get us to back off from protesting at our White line.This was a line drawn across the road a the bounderies of Pallaskenry where they intended to bring the pipeline with the heavily polluted water from the River Deel. They were even threatening to put a breast feeding mother of two in jail for protecting what she belived to be worth fighting for. In the last couple of months the council have made several efforts to make the connection, even coming out in the dead of night to dig up the roads in the middle of Kildimo, but again they were not going to get away with this as our people were on them soon after they started at 2.00am.
We sent a group of our people to Brussels, to bring our case before the Petitions Committee. They had a very successful journey because the Petitions Committee are to send a deligation from Europe to Pallaskenry/Kildimo so that they can see this situation for themselves.
As for the EPA Mick, I do'nt know where they have their snouts or if they have any recomendations but they definately have the records of the amout of times that the River Deel has been polluted.
I am sorry to hear about Dan Brennan not getting on so well, but if he believes in his cause then he should keep it up.
The great thing about the Petitions Committee is that ordinary folks like us can go to Brussels and state our case in front of these MEP's. Hopefully more people will do the same.
Mick maybe you should come down to Pallaskenry and see for yourself the fantastic lake where we get our water from, you'ld be most welcome.
Thanks for your interest. Ken

author by supporterpublication date Sat Mar 31, 2007 10:15author address author phone

read about people fighting to keep their water supply.cant understand the councils and the way they try to walk all over people.of course the county manager is paid by the state so what could one expect from them.am interested to know more about the european investigation.you say(last person)that europe will actually send people over? is it long since the petition was sent to europe? seems like a fast respone from europe,mind if i ask how you people organised that,it could be a great benifit to more of us with similar problems with a county council.keep up the good fight.

author by ken - supporterpublication date Fri Apr 13, 2007 23:40author address author phone

To the last author it was as easy as getting on to an MEP. They will help in any way they can and give you all the advisre you might need. Remember if and when you do go to Brussels, the appeals commity are ordinary people also, so do not be afraid to say your peace. Thank you for your interest in our campaign, but we have a very serious problem now. You see, Limerick County Council have connected the Deel supply to our sring supply which we did not want. Now we have to get them back into the courts to get them to disconect the Deel supply. It is not going to be easy but we will keep going as long as it takes.


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