Free family fun day has focus on water quality of Milltown River

On Water Heritage Day 2023, Sunday August 20, Milltownpass Tidy Towns hosted a free family fun day to celebrate Milltown River and to share information about their efforts to improve the water quality – currently rated ‘Poor’ by the EPA.

Hundreds of people turned out to enjoy music, face painting, inflatable games, sustainable arts and crafts, and more.

There were biodiversity workshops with clay bird feeders, and seed bomb making along with all kinds of taxidermied birds and animals on display courtesy of NPWS district officer Therese Kelly.

Trained members of the Tidy Towns committee hosted citizen science kick sampling demonstrations on the river and attendees had fun identifying the macroinvertebrates in the water.

Cathal Flood, community water officer, was doing live testing for nitrates and phosphates and other non organic compounds in the water and sharing his results with visitors.

The event was funded by LAWPRO and the Community Waters Development Fund 2023 and Westmeath County Council Festival and Events Grant.

Milltownpass Tidy Towns committee member Ronan Lynskey said: “This was our second year to host the event and we were delighted to be able to secure the funding again this year. The weather had been so bad in the run-up that we were worried it could be a washout, but the rain held off and the sun shone and we ended up with a much bigger crowd than last year.

“There was great interest in the work we’re doing on the river and we had an opportunity to share details of our Community Biodiversity Plan too.”

The Tidy Towns team would like to extend a special thanks to the funders, the volunteers and to all who provided services or hosted workshops on the day.