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As I approached the Ormeau Bridge this morning a very eggy smell made its way up my nostrils. Looking down, the bands of the were as low as I remember ever seeing them; muddy, dark and devoid of life, with a traffic cone or two and I’m sure a shopping trolley somewhere could be found somewhere down as the river meandered through the city.
As I walked across the bridge on my way to work I thought about the Lagan Weir and how it was designed to “keep the river at an artificially constant level” through “a series of massive steel barriers which are raised as the tide retreats.” Maybe they took the bank holiday off too.
The water quality of the river was poor due to several factors:
- There was a large amount of “domestic” pollution entering the river system from an outdated sewage system
- Poor intermixing of the fresh water from upstream with the denser seawater from Belfast Lough.
- Nitrates contained in the fresh water.
- The Lagan’s water level varied by three metres between high and low tide so that at low tide unsightly smelly mud flats were exposed as far up the river as the Ormeau embankment.
And who wouldn’t want the opportunity to enjoy such great weather rather than go to work. Not so good for the runners (and walkers) of the Belfast City Marathon, who must have had a hard time staying dehydrated as they struggled through the 26.2mile journey.
Great weather for spectators on the other hand, watching from the sidelines, or the front of the local pub.
Inside the Errigle on this very fine afternoon was Matt McGinn and his band playing some classics to those enjoying the day off work and those resting their muscles from their run.
The weather has just been amazing for the last few days, and I do hope it continues. All I want to do is sit in the sun, with plenty of sun cream of course!
Thanks to Andy for my new blog design :)
3 Comments
This is the first time I could read white text on a black background with ease!
Great template, really quick to load as well. I pity that band playing in the afternoon, how boring for them.
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