A Co Derry farmer pleaded guilty and was fined £400 at Magherafelt Magistrates’ Court this week for a water pollution offence.
John Purvis, Salterstown Road, Magherafelt was also ordered to pay an offenders levy of £15 for making a polluting discharge to a waterway.
The court heard that on 19 February 2014, Water Quality Inspectors(WQIs), acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency ( NIEA) inspected a waterway at Salterstown Road, Magherafelt and observed the waterway to be green / brown in colour.
The polluting discharge was traced to farm premises owned by Mr Purvis.
A fluorescein tracing dye test carried by the WQIs confirmed continuity between a drain on the farm and the waterway.
A sample taken at the time of the incident confirmed that the discharge contained poisonous, noxious or polluting matter which was potentially harmful to fish life in the receiving waterway.
Anyone wishing to report a pollution incident can call the 24 hour Water Pollution Hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
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