ASKED to describe himself, Tony Waldron replies modestly, "an environmentalist without qualifications". Over the past decade, however, he has become a self taught expert on piggeries, planning, septic tanks, sewage treatment, failures to implement environmental regulations and every conceivable constituent of water.
Motivation stems from many years fishing on Lough Mask in Co Mayo, one of Europe's most important game fisheries. He recorded his yearly catch meticulously - even factoring in the possibility that with growing age he might not be able to land a large brown trout as in the past - and found that there was a steady decline in returns.
Puzzled rather than upset, in 1991 he got the CarraMask Angling Federation to commission an independent study. This was against a background of "regulatory bodies stating that as far as they were concerned there was no change. They had the figures to prove it."
The study was limited in scope but found that if "nutrient inputs" the byproducts of modern farming and sewage, continued or increased from the levels shown, decline would translate into permanent damage.
This coincided with him being made redundant from a flour milling business, which allowed him time painstakingly to monitor strains on the lake. "Planning, if unchecked, was allowing inputs into the system. We questioned State authorities insisting there was no change. We established that the only official monitoring was midlake sampling. This was not showing up what was happening along the shores from inflowing waters.
In 1994, puzzlement had turned to upset. They asked the freshwater expert, Dr David Santillo of Greenpeace, to investigate. The waters were becoming increasingly "enriched" by pollutants. That did not mean polluted, but did mean a continuing decline in quality.
The anglers hoped for a solution at local or national level. "We pursued it on that basis," says Mr Waldron. "We did not get the hearing we hoped for. There were expressions of concern but the matter was not taken seriously. Out of frustration, we decided to bring it to the EU's attention."
The failure to implement recommendations from a report on Lough Conn carried out by State agencies, which found alarming decline, was on their minds
During a recent visit to the environment directorate in Brussels, a senior official declared: "You are our eyes and ears" on the quality of Irish freshwater systems. Mr Waldron welcomes vindication but is more pleased by EU interest "focusing minds on what is happening to the great western lakes, and beyond that on the issue of water quality in Ireland".
He acknowledges Government concern - "Brendan Howlin is the first Minister to openly admit that the main threat is due to farming practices and badly treated or raw sewage discharges" - and radical measures announced to deal with the problem.
Yet he remains unconvinced that the courage required to confront agricultural failings will materialise. "We feel there won't be a satisfactory solution unless the EU takes the matter in hand. It's going to take legal action whereby the Government is taken to the European Court of Justice and forced to set and implement binding water quality objectives required under the 76 - 464 directive."
