Major Irish River Potentially Threatened

One of the many beautiful views along the River Shannon, Ireland

For the first time on this blog, I decided to just Google environmental hazards and select news and see what came up. I was shocked when the second headline was from Limerick, Ireland, the exact city I studied abroad in last semester. Aughinish Alumina is looking to extend the size of its bauxite residue deposits pond. The pond leaves a red-coloured bauxite residue that's stored as a red mud. So far this may not seem like two big of a problem, but one of the largest rivers in the country of Ireland just happens to be 100 feet away from this proposed pond expansion. I can tell your firsthand, it rains pretty much everyday in Ireland. With a pond that holds a chemical residue so close to a major river , in a country where flooding is as common as a pint of Guinness on a week night, one could see why there would be some concern. Humans are the one's causing this concern, since it's the companies wish to extend their holding pond. It may seem like this really isn't related to an environmental hazard, and nothing has really happened yet. However, think of the hazard that would occur if there was a flood, and this red mud did make its way in the Shannon River. While the company is pushing for their pond to be expanded, there's plenty of opposition to it. A local farmers action group has talked to the European Commission, saying the material should be considered hazardous waste. The former mayor of the city is speaking out about the potential danger to the wildlife, which includes dolphins, otters, and numerous birds. As someone who walked right along this river multiple times, there are numerous fisherman, massive swans, and plenty of ducks that can be found all over this river. There are also many canoe's and kayak's that spend hours everyday on the river. It will be interesting to see whether this pond is approved or prevented, but I believe it absolutely could lead to an environmental hazard occurring. http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/concerns-raised-over-aluminium-plant-in-limerick-1.1532430