Scenic Kildare lakes area needs to be dredged

The scenic lakes area in Naas needs to be dredged.

A dredging operation - the removal of sediment and de bris - is likely to be expensive, according to Kildare County Council official Simon Wallace.

He also said the development of a wetlands area can also be considered.

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Mr Wallace said the overall project is significant - but it is hoped to start preliminary work in association with the National Parks and Wildlife Service this summer.

He was responding to a call  to divert the water destined for  the lakes to an adjacent designated wetlands area.

Naas councillor Seamie Moore believes that this would promote natural plant growth in that area.

He also believes this would have the effect of extracting “nutrient enrichments.”

He said expert reports had indicated that these enrichments are responsible for the “suffocating algae growth prevalent in the lakes over the past several years.”

He said the algae is “depriving water based bird life of its normal feeding grounds and has also reduced the fish stocks” in nearby waterways.