Water quality ideas and proposals needed from everyone
Water quality tests in the 2013-2015 period showed 45% of our rivers, and 54% of our lakes, had a “less than good” status.
There is an opportunity for you and I right now to have our say on the management and upkeep of our rivers and lakes.
The Local Authority Waters and Communities Office (LAWCO) has been holding a series of meetings throughout the country since April, inviting members of the public and all other relevant interest groups to have their say on how they feel this natural resource can be best maintained and improved.
These meetings will continue for the coming months, before draft proposals are sent to government.
The aim is to improve water quality.
The process began with the Water Framework Directive (WFD) which was adopted by the European Union back in 2000.
The aim of this directive was to establish a framework across member states for protection and improvement of natural water bodies, which include rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and groundwater.
Compliance with the WFD was then tackled, through River Basin Management plans.
In February 2016, the LAWCO was established, to promote public awareness and participation in the River Basin Management Plan.
In time, it is hoped that the LAWCO will co-ordinate the implementation of measures which will help in maintaining this fragile resource.
But, before implementation of any plan, ideas and proposals are needed from everyone with an interest in water quality. And so we have this series of public meetings.
I attended a recent LAWCO meeting in Macroom, Co Cork.
Ironically enough, before I got the chance to go I had to deal with some water issues of my own on the farm.
A storage tank that captures naturally occurring spring water had become blocked. Constructed about 50 years ago by my uncle, it satisfies the water needs of livestock on this farm, through gravity alone.
It needed cleaning, as most of these tanks do from time to time. So I did this before heading off to the Macroom to discuss water and the importance of it.
Like most farmers, I didn’t need to be told how important fresh clean water is to the running of a farm. It’s vital.
The meeting was chaired by Community Water Officer Kieran Murphy, and before things got under way. I asked him about his background.
“I graduated as a mature student from IT, Tralee with Honours in Wildlife Biology. From there, I worked with IRD Duhallow, a rural development company in North Cork, on a European-funded LIFE Project, to enhance and protect the river habitat of the River Allow catchment, mainly for the Atlantic salmon, freshwater pearl mussel, otter and kingfisher.
“In that job, I worked closely with the communities in the catchment, especially the farming community.
“It was by working with the farmers and landowners, and in many cases the local anglers, that the vast majority of the on-the-ground works were implemented successfully. I have no agricultural background, so the advice from the farmers on the ground was and always is vital.”
“As Community Water Officer for the Local Authorities Waters and Communities Office (LAWCO), I can draw from the experience I gained from working with communities of north Cork.
“My role is to engage and advise communities on water based environmental projects and initiatives, and to inform them on what they can do as communities or community groups to improve and maintain the quality of their rivers, lakes and coastal waters.”
Here are a few of the startling findings that came from the Macroom meeting.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) research into water quality between 2013-2015 showed that 45% of our rivers, and 54% of our lakes, have a “less than good” status.
Nationally, EPA monitored rivers and lakes at good or high status have declined by 3% since the 2007-2009 period.
EPA findings show that high status waters remain under continued pressure.
The status system goes from high, to good, moderate, and poor. Kieran Murphy said at the meeting that the aim is to try to achieve a “good status and maintain good, at the very least.”
When the EPA were categorising water bodies at risk of not meeting WFD objectives, they found 53% were impacted by more than one risk factor.
Their findings show agriculture is one of the key pressures on water quality, coming well ahead, three-fold ahead, of urban waste water.
This really came as a surprise to many of us attending the meeting in Macroom.
“We are holding these meetings across the country to give information on the draft River Basin Management Plan,” Kieran Murphy explained.
“The river basin management plan is all about protecting, improving and managing our water over the next four years. These public meetings are being held in 115 areas throughout the country and will be completed by the end of July, 2017. The final plan will then published at the end of the year.
“There is an opportunity through these meetings to get involved, to work together to influence government plans and public policies.”
For an indication of some of the issues likely to be raised at the meetings, Kieran said, “In a pilot scheme we did in the River Suir catchment area last year, we asked the public what were the key issues they felt needed to be addressed with regards to water.
“The most common issue was that there was a lack of joined up thinking with regard to water quality in this country, and many felt there were too many agencies involved in governing our rivers.”
As I discovered at the meeting in Macroom, there already exists a whole plethora of agencies involved in the business of keeping our rivers and lakes clean, and yet, quality is on the slide.
Clearly more needs to be done, and perhaps by less agencies.
Have your say on protecting this precious resource
From river police to unsatisfactory sewage systems, it’s time your voice was heard.
Having clean water can provide countless benefits for the community, benefits that reach far beyond the farm gate.
From fishing, to boating, to swimming, proper care of waterways can help support local economies, which in turn can help create an environment for local jobs. We all win.
Also, fresh clean water has obvious positive benefits for health and well-being.
At the LAWCO meeting in Macroom, many issues were highlighted by those in attendance during a question and answer session which took place towards the end of the night.
One speaker brought up the issue of an inadequate sewage system in a neighbouring village. He told the meeting planning permission was granted years ago for a new treatment facility, but the problem remained, the job has yet to be done.
Another speaker, this time on an agricultural theme, emphasised the importance of all farmers who work adjacent to waterways, to be conscious of where they work.
“It’s no good having one farmer in full compliance with every rule and regulation with regards to water pollution, only to have his neighbour upstream or downstream working in total ignorance of the river and doing whatever he damn well likes.”
A suggestion was made for employment of “river police.”
“River police should be considered,” one speaker said.
“It’s pointless reporting a river pollution issue on a Sunday evening, only to have to wait until Monday morning before an inspector arrives. When the river or stream returns to its natural state, the evidence is gone.
“We need a quicker response when it comes to protection of water”
If you too would like to submit a proposal on an issue relating to the maintenance and upkeep of water, now is your opportunity.
Public meetings to discuss your local waters in the context of the draft River Basin Management Plan for Ireland 2018–2021 will be held over the coming weeks in the following locations (all 7.30pm):
n Killorglin Library, Co Kerry, tonight, June 1, 7.30pm
n Vienna Woods Hotel, Glanmire, Wednesday, June 7
n Family Resource Centre, Listowel, Thursday, June 8
n Carnegie Arts Centre, Kenmare, Tuesday, June 13
n Tipperary Excel Centre, Tipperary Town, Tuesday, June 13
n Munster Arms, Bandon, Wednesday June 14
n Clonmel Park Hotel, Wednesday June 14
n Benners Hotel, Dingle, Thursday, June 15
n Parkway Hotel, Dunmanway, Tuesday, June 20
n Clonakilty Hotel, Clonakilty Tuesday, June 27
n Tirry Community Centre, Fethard, Co Tipperary, Tuesday, June 27
n West Cork Hotel, Skibbereen, Thursday June 29.
At these meetings, discussions will include topics such as heritage, water quality, angling, biodiversity, agriculture, recreational use and tourism.
