A highly-dangerous algal growth in Lough Ennell which can kill dogs within an hour, and cause a rash or eye infections in humans, has led Westmeath County Council to ban bathing at all areas of the lake.
There is, as of today, Thursday, a total ban on swimming – and also on allowing dogs and other animals enter the waters of the lake.
The “Blue Green algae” has developed as a result of the non-turbulence of the water, the presence of nutrients in the lake, and the arrival of the hot weather.
The trio of factors have let to what county veterinary officer Sean Ó Laoide has described this week as “a perfect storm”….
Westmeath Examiner 11/07/2013 Read the article ‘Bathers and animals banned from Ennell as dangerous algae found’
