Owenavorragh Water Management Unit Action Plan

Name Owenavorragh Water Management Unit

Area 398 km2

River Basin District South Eastern RBD

Main Counties Wexford

Protected Areas

Kilmuckridge - Tinnaberna Sandhills SACCahore Polders and Dunes SACScreen Hills SACRaven Point Nature Reserve SACThe Raven SPA4 bathing waters - Ballymoney, Courtown North Beach, Morriscastle, Currahoe

Sectoral Total Phosphorus Source (This does not imply impact)

01020304050607080

%

STATUS/IMPACTS

Overall status 29 River Water Bodies - 9 Good, 11 Moderate, 8 Poor, 1 Bad. 3 Lakes (Doo Lough and 2 small unnamed nearby lakes) - all at Good status. 1 Coastal Water Body - Southwestern Irish Sea – refer to Transitional and Coastal Action Plan for SERBD

Status elements Q score dictates overall status except for 1 good WB which is driven by PhysChem. 7 WBs have less than good PhysChem. Status is extrapolated for 16 WBs. Chemical Status is monitored in 2 water bodies and passes (Banoge and Owenavorragh)

Possible Impacts - EPA Water Quality 2004

Askinch Upper Stream - (SE_11_381 - Status 09 -Poor); Considerably impacted by heavy silt deposits. Aughboy - (SE_11_469 - Status 09 -Bad dictated by Q Score in 2006 ); Significant improvement from 1998 - 2005 despite heavy siltation from construction, but further improvement required. Ballyedmond - (SE_11_247 - Status 09- Poor dictated by Q score); Sewage suspected of causing continuing moderate pollution. Banoge - (SE_11_443 - Status 09 -Mod & SE_11_257 - Status 09 -Poor); Slight pollution in upper reaches by suspected domestic influences. Considerable impact in lower reaches by suspected sewage effluent from Gorey. Blackwater - (SE_11_32 - Status 09 -Mod); Marked improvement from 2001 - 2005 but more recent Q is moderate.Brackan - (SE_11_61 & SE_11_68 - Status 09 -Both Good); ecological conditions were satisfactory when sampled in 2007Clonough - (SE_11_339 & SE_11_381 - Status 09 -Both Poor); unsatisfactory when sampled in 2007. Moderate pollution and excessive siltation, probably from livestock access.Inch - (SE_11_33 - Status 09 -Moderate); Satisfactory, aside from the occurrence of Cladophora spp which is indicative of nutrient enrichment. Lower reaches have experienced deterioration from 4 to 3-4.Owenavorragh - (SE_11_56 - Status 09 -Moderate, SE_11_251 & SE_11_455 - Status 09- Both Poor); Improvement noted at all but the lowermost location where deterioration due to suspected sewage was noted in 2005. Fencing has had a beneficial effect.

PRESSURES/RISKS

Nutrient sources 74% of TP is diffuse, 68% of which coming from Agriculture

Point pressures 11 WWTP (Ballycanew, Ballygarrett, Blackwater, Ballymoney, Coolgreany, Gorey, Kilinerin, Kilmuckridge, Oulart, Monamolin, Roche’s Garden, Courtown/Riverchapel); 1 WTP (Creagh); 38 Section 4s - 16 Private Companies, 2 Caravan Parks, Investments Compant, Management Company, Creamery, Marketing Company, Environmental Consultancy, 3 Construction Companies,4 Real Estate Development Companies, Bar, Meat Plant, Nursing Home, Cemetery, 3 B&Bs, School 1 IPPC – Farm. 3 EPA Licensed Waste Facilities – Seamus Kelly and Sons, Custom Compost, Waste Recycling Centre. 6 Section 4s are on the boundary of the WMU, and discharge to the adjacent coastal waterbody.

Owenavorragh Water Management Unit Action Plan

Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP) and Industrial Discharges

At risk (refer to Selected Action Programme)Ballycanew WWTPGorey WWTPBlackwater WWTPOulart WWTPCourtown/Riverchapel WWTPKilmuckridgeBallygarrett WWTPKilherim WWTP

Industry:Creamery - at risk from insufficient existing and future assimilative capacity for BOD and nutrients. Builders merchants - at risk from existing and future insufficient assimilative capacity for BOD. Software consultancy - at risk as Q<4 within 3km d/s of outfall. Construction services - at risk from existing and future insufficient assimilative capacity for BOD, and Q<4 within 3km d/s of outfall. Nursing home - historical deterioration in water quality and Q<4 within 3km d/s of outfall. Building contractors - at risk from existing and future insufficient assimilative capacity for BOD and nutrients.

Quarries, Mines & Landfills

There are 13 Quarries.

Agriculture The majority of the area of the WMU is at risk from Agriculture

On-site systems There are 7226 septic tanks in this WMU, none of them are posing a risk to water quality due to their density, location and unsuitable hydrogeological conditions.

Forestry No waterbodies at risk from forestry

Dangerous substances

No waterbodies at risk from Dangerous Substances.

Morphology 3 waterbodies at risk due to channelisation - SE_11_455, SE_11_456 & SE_11_502 - Owenavorragh Drainage Scheme

Abstractions 18 abstractions but no waterbodies at risk

Other None

Lake StatusRiver Status

High

Good

Moderate

Poor

Bad

Yet to be determined

Owenavorragh Water Management Unit Action PlanSELECTED ACTION PROGRAMMENB All relevant basic measures, general supplementary measures and SEA mitigation measures apply

Point Sources Review of quarries.

INDUSTRY –Investigate discharges identified as at riskAll - Examine the terms of discharge authorisations to determine whether they require review for the purpose of compliance with water body objectives including protected area objectives and environmental quality standards.

WWTP’s – refer to Action Plan table to the right.

Diffuse Sources

AGRICULTURE - Good Agricultural Practice Regulations and Enforcement.ON-SITE SYSTEMS Inspection of on-site systems in at-risk areas to ensure that treatment systems are adequate and maintained to prevent pollution of waters. Consider connection to municipal sewerage systems based on inspections and economic tests.

Other MORPHOLOGY - Investigation into the impact of channelisation (3 waterbodies, Owenavorragh Drainage Scheme).

OBJECTIVES

Restore Good status 2015

Protect

2 water bodies.

9 water bodies. 3 lakes.

Alternative Objectives

Extended Deadlines – 18 water bodies – 2021 deadline

New Modifications or Development – none requiring alternative objectives at present.

HMWB/AWB - 1 AWB – Cahore Canal

FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

Future Pressures and Developments

Throughout the river basin management cycle future pressures and developments will need to be managed to ensure compliance with the objectives of the Water Framework Directive and the Programme of Measures will need to be developed to ensure issues associated with these new pressures are addressed.

Point Source Discharge County Priority Measure (Capital Works)

Ballycanew Wexford 2 Increase capacity of treatment plant.

Ballycanew Wexford 2 Provide nutrient removal or relocate outfall.

Gorey WWTP Wexford 1 Increase capacity of treatment plant.

Gorey WWTP Wexford 2 Provide tertiary treatment or relocate outfall.

Gorey WWTP Wexford 2 Provide nutrient removal or relocate outfall.

Point Source Discharge County Priority Measure (Investigation before Capital Works)

Blackwater WWTP Wexford 3 Investigate the need for tertiary treatment or for the relocation of the outfall.

Oulart Wexford 3 Investigate the need for increase in capacity of treatment plant.

Point Source Discharge County Priority MeasureCourtown/Riverchapel WWTP Wexford 1 Plant requiring the implement an appropriate

performance management system

Gorey WWTP Wexford 1 Plant requiring the implement an appropriate performance management system

Kilmuckridge WWTP Wexford 1 Plant requiring the implement an appropriate performance management system

Point Source Discharge County Priority Measure

Ballycanew Wexford 3Plant requiring the increase in capacity or ensure capacity of treatment plant is not exceeded

Ballygarrett Wexford 3 Plant requiring the increase in capacity or ensure capacity of treatment plant is not exceeded

Kilinerin Wexford 3 Plant requiring the increase in capacity or ensure capacity of treatment plant is not exceeded

Owenavorragh Water Management Unit Action Plan

River Data

Member State Code

Monitored Y

(Extrapolated N)

Donor Waterbody

Macroinvertebrate

s (Q)

FreshWater Pearl

Mussel

Fish

Phytobenthos (Diatom

s)

Morphology

Specific Polutants

Physio-chemical

Ecological Status

Chemical Status

Special Area of Conservation

Special Protection Area

Nutrient Sensitive W

aters

Drinking Water

Objective

Date objective to be achieved

SE_11_199 N SE_11_32 M GES 2021SE_11_232 N SE_11_33 M GES 2021SE_11_247 Y P P GES 2021SE_11_251 Y P M H M P G GES 2021SE_11_256 N SE_11_68 G GES 2009SE_11_257 Y P H M P G GES 2021SE_11_278 N SE_11_61 G GES 2009SE_11_279 N SE_11_32 M GES 2021SE_11_32 Y M M M GES 2021SE_11_33 Y M G M GES 2021SE_11_339 Y P M P GES 2021SE_11_381 Y P M P GES 2021SE_11_393 N SE_11_56 M GES 2021SE_11_443 Y M M GES 2015SE_11_450 N SE_11_32 M GES 2015SE_11_455 Y P H P GES 2021SE_11_456 N SE_11_247 P GES 2021SE_11_469 Y B B M B GES 2021SE_11_481 N SE_11_32 M GES 2021SE_11_484 N SE_11_95 G GES 2009SE_11_490 N SE_11_502 G GES 2009SE_11_500 Y M M Y GES 2021SE_11_502 Y G G GES 2009SE_11_512 N SE_11_251 P GES 2021SE_11_519 N SE_11_95 G GES 2009SE_11_56 Y M H M GES 2021SE_11_61 Y G H G GES 2009SE_11_68 Y G H G GES 2009SE_11_95 Y G G GES 2009

IE_SE_OwenavorraghBiological Elements Supporting Elements Protected Areas

Member State Code

Name Monitored Y

(Extrapolated N)

Macrophytes

Chlorophyll

Fish

Morphology

Nutrient Enrichment

Physico Chemical

Ecological Status

Chemical Status

Special Area of Conservation

Special Protection Area

Nutrient Sensitive W

aters

Bathing Water

Drinking Water

Objective

Date objective to be achieved

SE_11_134 Doo Lough N G Y GES 2009SE_11_26 N G Y GES 2009SE_12_11 N G Y GES 2009

IE_SE_OwenavorraghBiological Elements Supporting Elements Protected AreasLake Data

These tables outline water body information including status and a breakdown of its

elements, protected areas, objectives and timescales.