Lough Corrib
| Lough Corrib | |
|---|---|
 A map taken from the Admiralty Chart made in 1846 | |
| Coordinates | 53°28′N 9°17′W / 53.467°N 9.283°W |
| Basin countries | Ireland |
| Surface area | 200 km² |
Lough Corrib (Loch Coirib in Irish) is a lake in the west of Ireland. The River Corrib/Galway river connects the lake to the sea at Galway. It is the largest loch in the Republic of Ireland and the second largest in the island of Ireland after Lough Neagh and it covers some 200 sq km. Loch Coirib is a corruption of Loch nOirbsean, which according to placename lore is named after the Danann navigator Orbsen Mac Alloid (commonly called Manannán Mac Lir, "The Son of the Sea," for whom the Isle of Man is named.) In Irish the loch is also called An Choirib ("the Corrib").
Sir William Wilde wrote a book on the lake, first published in 1867.
The first canal in Ireland was cut in the 12th century. Known as The Friar's Cut, it allowed boats to pass from Lough Corrib to the sea at Galway.
As well as being an internationally recognised attraction for tourists and fisherman alike, Lough Corrib has recently become more famous for its many unwelcome visitors. In early 2007, large numbers of the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium were detected in water from the lake, leading to contamination of the public water supply in Galway city, and an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis. Another unwelcome visitor is the highly invasive species Lagarosiphon major (also known as "Curly Waterweed") which is destroying fish habitat. Another invasive species is the zebra mussel.
Cryptosporidium outbreak
On the 21st of March, 2007, Cryptosporidium was confirmed to be present on the drinking water of Galway City, Moycullen, Tuam and Headford, which had been instructed six days earlier to boil their water before drinking. The water, taken from Lough Corrib, was likely contaminated by migration of animal and human faeces. Dick Roche, the Minister of the Environment, announced a further allocation of 48 Million Euro to tackle the issue.
Galway City Council announced a one-for-one scheme on the 10th of April, 2007, whereby they would carry the cost of a second bottle of water, if one is purchased. Other measures include upgrading existing water treatment and filtration systems, as well as the projected importing of water from nearby Luimnagh, Tuam, County Galway. This plant at Luimnagh has modern facilities which provide for Cryptosporidium eradication and filtration.
The Community Care Organisation, Cope, delivered bottled water to their elderly clients from the 30th of March 2007. [1]
A lobby group was formed on the 8th of April 2007, to highlight the issue using the MySpace subdomain and under the general title of Galway Water Crisis [2].