2nd Cycle Draft River Basin Management Plan

Colin Byrne Senior Adviser

Catchment Management Network meeting

Athlone

24th February 2017

River basin planning cycles

Plan delivery

• Draft plan approved by the Minister • Publication imminent • Environmental Report and Natura

Impact Statement will accompany the draft Plan

• 6 months public consultation process • Final RBMP by December 2017 • Substantial amount of work remaining

to be done during 2017 to produce a final plan

Background

• Recognised that improvements required on 1st cycle:

• Have now moved to a single river basin district

• EPA characterisation work improving the evidence base

• Have placed a major focus on getting the governance and delivery structures right: – Need these structures to continue the good progress on “basic measures”

and also drive delivery of supporting measures where required.

– Communication and public engagement also a major focus of this plan.

Water Quality Status • 46 catchments consisting of 583

sub-catchments & 4933 water bodies

• 2013-15 status for monitored water bodies shows 55% of rivers & 46% of lakes achieving good or high status

• Overall no improvements during first cycle

• Some 900 water bodies showed either “improvement or disimprovement” over the first cycle

• Continued loss of ‘high status’ sites

Summary of ecological status of water bodies 2013-15 (provisional EPA information)

Significant Pressures

• Significant Pressures on “at risk” river and lake water bodies:

• 27% of ‘at risk’ waterbodies subject to a single pressure and 73% subject to more than one pressure

• High Status waterbodies under continued pressure – from 13% of water bodies in 2007-09 to 10% in 2013-15.

Objectives & Priorities

• Environmental objectives are set out in the Directive

• Prioritisation is needed for 2nd cycle to achieve outcomes

• Identified priorities in the plan:

- Compliance with existing EU legislation (e.g. UWWTD)

- Prevent deterioration

- Meet water objectives for designated ‘protected areas’

- Protect high status waters

- Focus sub-catchments for targeted actions and pilot schemes.

Programme of Measures

• Agriculture

• Septic tanks

• Urban waste water • Forestry • Peat harvesting • Invasive alien species

• Protected areas

• High status waters - “blue dot catchments programme”

• Hydromorphology

• Floods

• Land use planning and water

• Water abstraction pressures – Legislative proposals to establish and maintain a register of water

abstractions greater than 25m3/day – Public consultation on establishing a proportionate and risk-based

abstraction control regime required by the Water Framework Directive to ensure continued sustainable use of our water resources.

Implementation Strategy

• Implementation of basic measures with supporting measures targeted at priority water bodies

• Measures informed by better evidence base from characterisation

• Regional structures are critical to marshalling and coordinating resources across agencies and other stakeholders

Proposed Implementation Structures

• WPAC high level policy direction • NCMC Sub-committee to oversee programme delivery and implementation • NTIG for technical implementation, characterisation, reporting and

environmental monitoring and tracking of measures • LA Regional structures leading on regional delivery and implementation • Essential that structures work together to achieve progress

Role of local authorities in preparation of the plan

• Regional local authority structures – Public consultation on the draft river basin management plan

• Feedback on draft RBMP • Input on regional prioritisation

– Prioritisation of catchments for action, taking account of; • High level plan priorities – EPA recommendations are the starting point • Feasibility • Available resources while balancing competing demands • Ability of other national authorities to support actions in priority catchments (e.g. Irish Water, Department

of Agriculture) • Feedback from consultation process

– Develop regional work programme for priority catchments, specifying; • Measures to be implemented • Responsible bodies • Assigned resources • Expected timelines for implementation • Community and stakeholder engagement

Role of local authorities in implementation of the plan

• Regional local authority structures – Coordinated delivery of measures at regional and local level

– Tracking progress and effectiveness of measures

– Annual reporting of progress

– Ensuring public and stakeholder engagement in implementation

– On-going enforcement activities

– Supporting national policy development and implementation through participation on NCMC and WPAC

Delivering on implementation

• National Coordination and Management Committee

– Project management of plan preparation and implementation

– Partnership approach (local authorities, EPA and department)

Communication & Engagement

• Public consultation highlighted need for: (i) better engagement in water policy at national level (ii) facilitating public and stakeholder engagement at local

level • Response to these issues in RBMP

(i) National Water Forum will feed into WPAC and other structures

(ii) Local Authority Waters and Community Office (LAWCO) to drive public participation and consultation and co-ordinate this across all local authorities

(iii) Also EPA networking/knowledge sharing and catchments.ie website

Investment in the new approach

• EPA has established a new Catchment Science and Management Unit

• Local authorities have established a new Water and Communities Office (LAWCO) – Public engagement and participation – Local implementation of measures

• www.Catchments.ie website

Key expected outcomes

1. Continued implementation of NAP & targeted RDP schemes

2. National Dairy Sustainability Forum and other knowledge transfer initiatives in agriculture sector

3. Investment in waste water infrastructure and delivery & operational improvements bringing about compliance

4. For other sectors broad alignment of strategies and programmes with water quality objectives

5. Protected area improvements

6. Improved implementation structures

7. Prioritised supporting measures driven through regional LA structures (supported by EPA evidence base)

8. LAWCO and the National Public Water Forum

9. Envisage gradual but sustained improvements over next 2 cycles