NIW Ltd convicted for discharge offences

Northern Ireland Water Ltd (NIW) was given a conditional discharge for a period of two years and ordered to pay £46 court costs at Newry Magistrates’ Court today.

NIW was found guilty of making a polluting discharge and making a discharge to a waterway in contravention of the Department’s consent conditions.

On 17 February 2008 a Water Quality Inspector acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (formerly the Environment and Heritage Service) found a tributary of the Clanrye River to be cloudy in appearance.

The source of the polluting discharge was traced to the Rathfriland Waste Water Treatment Works.

A sample taken at the time of the incident confirmed that the discharge contained poisonous, noxious and polluting matter which would have been potentially harmful to fish life in the receiving waterway.

Notes to Editors:

1. NIW was charged under Article 7 (1)(a) of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 with the offence of making a polluting discharge to a waterway. They were also charged under Article 7 (6) for contravening the terms of a discharge consent issued by the Department of the Environment.

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