Council backs work

Friday 2nd March 2007, 5:00AM GMT

Councillors have backed a £310,000 scheme to secure the future of a Mid Wales lake where thousands of fish died in an ecological disaster.

Powys County Council is desperate to avoid a repeat of last year’s problems caused by a breakdown of blue-green algae at the lake in Llandrindod Wells. Work could start on restoring the site later this year after it was approved by the authority’s board.

The lake in the Victorian spa town is regarded as one of Powys’ most important tourist attractions.

The council’s board has agreed its latest capital strategy, which includes £310,000 for the restoration of the lake.

A council spokesman said: “The long-term plan is to restore the ecological balance of the lake to prevent the re-occurrence of last year’s events where thousands of fish died from oxygen starvation caused by a breakdown of blue-green algae.”

Proposals to restore the ecological balance of the lake include manipulating the silt on the bed of the lake, repairing leaks, planting and managing suitable vegetation and fish management.

Safeguard

A Lake Park steering group, made up of representatives including Powys County Council, Llandrindod Wells Town Council, the Countryside Council for Wales and Radnorshire Wildlife Trust, will finalise the proposals in the next month.

The council spokesman added: “To safeguard the future of the lake in Llandrindod Wells, the ecological balance has to be restored to ensure that there isn’t a repeat of the unfortunate incident that happened last summer.

“Professional bodies and local organisations involved in the steering group have looked at the issues surrounding the lake and have developed robust and balanced proposals for its future management,” the spokesman added.

“These proposals will be finalised in the next month and will be the start of a long-term plan to ensure that the lake remains an important tourist attraction for Llandrindod Wells and the county.”

Last summer’s outbreak of blue-green algae was caused by a fertiliser put into the water about 50 years ago, according to naturalist Julian Jones, of the Radnorshire Wildlife Trust.

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2 Comments

  1. Ian Roberts, Churchstoke said: Mar 2nd, 2007 at 10:42

    So if Powys schools were teaching fish rather than children they would be beter treated……. interesting, I wonder if we can get any salmon on the school roll ………………….

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  2. stridingwoman said: Mar 2nd, 2007 at 21:56

    It’s not caused by a fertiliser put in the water 50 years ago. What nonsense. I work in an urban park which also has b-g algae in lakes problems… reasons are many and complex but can be figured out. Happy to talk to anyone form Powys about it if they want.

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