public participation 16 march – farmers journal article (andy doyle) 27 march – project stand at...

Public Participation

• 16 March – Farmers Journal Article (Andy Doyle)

• 27 March – Project Stand at Inland Waterways School Poster Competition, Kilkenny

• 11 – 16 June – Project Stand at New Ross River Festival, Council Chambers

• SPC presentations– 5 March Laois CoCo SPC– 9 May Kilkenny CoCo SPC– 15 May South Tipperary CoCo SPC

Significant Water Management Issues (SWMI) – Update

SERBD – River Basin Management Group

June 2007

• Booklet layout

• Illustrated

• Short

• Non-technical but informative

• To stimulate discussion on the plan

• Telling people what may be in the plan two years early

• Policy implications - requires buy-in from various agencies

SWMI – Water Matters!

• Invitation to comment & your views • Background: the WFD story so far

– South Eastern River Basin District– A New Approach to Managing our Waters– Why Water Matters– Water Goals– Human Activity and Impacts on Waters– Common Water Problems– The South Eastern District and its waters– Our Special Areas– The Causes Of Our Local Problems– Using Local Expertise– Positive Steps– Planning Our Actions– Emerging and Changing Issues– Action Themes

• Topics• What happens next?• Getting involved


Municipal and Industrial Discharges


Wastewater and industrial discharges

– Background – • 540 sewerage systems serving populations of 500 – 1.7 million

• 600 IPPC licenses granted by EPA

• 1,090 discharge licenses to sewer & 1,120 to water granted by local authorities

• €2.3 billion invested (NDP 2000-2006) meeting 90% of infrastructure needs

• €2.5 billion estimated (NDP 2007-2013)

– Impact on waters –• Inadequate treatment – organic load, nutrients and toxic substances

• Urban drainage - spills

• Protected areas (bathing and shellfish waters, protected habitats/wildlife)


– Existing controls – • Urban wastewater – Urban wastewater treatment Regulations (1994-

2004), Planning and development Act (2000), Foreshore Act (1933)

• Industrial and commercial – IPPC Regulations (1994-2004) and Water Pollution Acts (1977, 1990)

– Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD objectives ? –• UWWT– Controls focussed on infrastructure not operations. No prior

authorisation system for local authorities. Monitoring inadequate in places. New water quality standards to be met

• Industrial and commercial – prior authorisation in place, but new emission limits, including dangerous substances, need to be included in review of licence conditions to meet new water quality standards

• Spills – few existing controls


– What additional controls are proposed? • New regulations creating single national licensing system for the operation of

urban wastewater installations and their discharges– Administered by EPA– Licences will set mandatory emission limits to achieve new water quality standards– Licences will set compulsory monitoring requirements

• Review and revision of IPPC and Water Pollution discharge licences will be necessary to meet new water quality standards

• Spill modelling

• Studies underway to;– Identify substances which require monitoring and control in discharges– Technical guidance on setting Emission Limits– Electronic web-based reporting system

• Stakeholders affected: Local authorities + industries discharging to sewer or water

Landfills, Quarries, Mines and Contaminated Lands


– Background – • 86 contaminated lands (industrial sites and gasworks) – EPA list

• Waste disposal sites – 25 recorded illegal sites

• 100 mines

• 50 quarries

• Incomplete knowledge about these sites

– Impact on waters –• Potential leakage of contaminants – toxic substances such metals and fuel

• Long term pollution of both groundwaters and surface waters


– Existing controls – • Waste disposal sites - Waste management act – EPA licenses

• Mines – mining lease/license - DCMNR, planning permission – Local authority, IPPC licenses – EPA

• Quarries – Planning and development act registration with Local authority

• Contaminated sites – Environmental protection agency and water pollution acts

– Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD objectives ? –• Controls adequate

• Enforcement actions are the challenge – eg recent actions to control illegal landfilling and cross border waste movement


– What additional controls are proposed? • Unregulated waste disposal sites – code of practice

– Developed by EPA– Local authorities identifying and assessing sites

• Quarries registration – best practice – Developed by EPA– Local authorities identifying and assessing sites

• Mine sites – GSI review and risk assessment

• Contaminated sites – use of same best practice

• Studies underway to;– Identify sites and threats– Design monitoring programmes

• Stakeholders affected: Local authorities + industries commercial enterprises and landowners on whose land such activities have taken place


Agriculture

Agriculture– Background –

• Two-thirds of Ireland’s land area - 90% grassland & 10% tillage

• 6% of workforce

• 8% of total added value

• Beef, milk and sheep main exports – 1.3 lu/ha average stocking density

• Intensification of farm systems, less farmers, larger herd sizes, intensive agricultural enterprises

– Impact on waters –• Enrichment of waters – nutrients

• Organic pollution – animal manure, silage and slurry

• Also dangerous substances eg pesticides, oils


Agriculture

– Existing controls – • European reform – single farm payments / cross compliance – DoAg lead

controls

• Good agricultural practice regulations – Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) and mini catchment programmes

• REPS

• Grant schemes for manure management (storage and spreading)

• Also Water Acts, Phosphorus Regulations (Bye-laws etc) – Local authority role

• IPPC licenses – intensive agricultural enterprises – EPA role

– Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD objectives ? –• Controls are adequate to protect most waters subject to enforcement

Agriculture

– What additional controls are proposed? • NAP will be reviewed in 2009 to ensure water quality improvements

• Control and reporting of nutrient surplus (animal numbers, feedstuff and chemical fertilizers)

• Observed reduction in animal numbers and fertilizer sales

• Digestor schemes possible solution in intensive areas

• Studies underway;– Representative mini-catchments– Monitoring effectiveness of national programme

• Stakeholders affected: Agricultural sector – principally farmers

Wastewater from Unsewered Properties

Unsewered properties

– Background – • 30% of the population are currently unsewered • 230 million litres of wastewater a day • Single dwellings, clusters of houses, commercial premises and light industries• One in five properties built since 1991 have septic tanks = 100,000 homes• Galway, Roscommon, Donegal and Monaghan are the counties with the highest rate of unsewered property development

• One third of facilities inspected in Cavan in 2002 were defective

– Impact on waters –• Water pollution – nutrients, chemicals and bacteria• If tanks and percolation systems are not sited and working properly, surface and groundwater contamination

• Protected areas (drinking waters, bathing and shellfish waters, protected habitats/wildlife)


– Existing controls – • Planning and development act supported by DEHLG best practice

guidance and EPA guidance manuals

• Water pollution acts and Bye-laws

– Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD objectives ? –• Current guidance relates to single dwellings and additional guidance is

needed for housing clusters


– What additional controls are proposed? • Updated guidance

• Studies underway;– New developments to be sited were adequate conditions exist– New development restricted at inappropriate sites– Integration of plans– Site testing and design standards– Sites at high risk from existing systems will be identified– Consideration of main sewers and tank maintenance requirements in

vulnerable areas– Monitoring systems

• Stakeholders affected: Developers and property owners, industrial and commercial enterprises in unsewered areas

Forestry

Forestry

– Background – • 10% of Ireland’s land area – to rise to 17% in next 30 years

• 75% coniferous

• 57% state owned – managed by Coillte

• Newer private forests - higher broadleaf proportions, more future felling

– Impact on waters –• Acidification

• Nutrient enrichment

• Sedimentation

• Flow pattern changes

• Pesticide contamination


Forestry

– Existing controls – • Forest Service – Sustainable Forest Management as supported by the Irish

National Forest Standard, code of best forest practice and environmental guidelines

• Forestry Act – control of felling

• Aerial fertilisation – DAF regulations

– Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD objectives ? –• Current legislation and guidance may require further strengthening as

research findings become available

• For example – protection of sensitive species and clear felling licenses

Forestry

– What additional controls are proposed? • Implementation of more stringent actions established by scientific

evaluation in sensitive areas

• Studies underway;– Map sensitive areas– Updated codes and guidance including buffer zones, managing coup size,

sediment control etc– Register of chemical usage– Monitoring programmes

• Stakeholders affected: Forestry sector – public and private plantation + saw-milling and processing industries

Dangerous Substances

Usage & discharge of dangerous substances

– Background – • Used across all sectors of society

• Households, medicines, industry, forestry, agriculture, small businesses, mines, construction sites, water treatment, run-off from roads and paved areas and engine exhausts

• Increased usage

• No complete register of these substances

– Impact on waters –• Persistent, toxic and accumulating substances


– Existing controls – • Water quality standards• Monitoring programmes• Emission controls – IPPC licenses, EPER (European Pollution Emission

Register), Seveso Directive, Water Acts, Dangerous Substances & Phosphorus Regulations, Pesticides Authorisations, Aquaculture Licenses

– Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD objectives ? –• New range of substances to be controlled, new method of calculating

water standards – new water quality standards to be set• Licensing, authorization and monitoring systems require updating to

address the new water standards • Periodic updates required


– What additional controls are proposed? • New water quality regulations for WFD classification systems

– Set by EPA

– Monitoring programmes – EPA and MI

• New regulation of WWTP, storm overflows• Review and revision of IPPC and Water Pollution discharge licences will also be

necessary to meet new water quality standards• REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals)• Review of authorised substances – PCS etc

• Studies underway to;– Identify substances which require monitoring and control

– Usage inventories

– Risk assessment systems• Stakeholders affected: Local authorities + industries and commercial activities producing, using,

handling, storing or discharging to sewer or water


Physical Modifications

Physical modifications

– Background – • Water supply, navigation, shipping, flood protection, hydropower and land drainage• 95,000 culverts and bridges • 900 km of river flood embankments• 19 large reservoirs • 10 large ports• 200 km of coastal defences

– Impact on waters –• Direct impact on habitat – drained rivers – loss of spawning habitat, physical barriers – obstacles to migration, hard structures – loss of habitat

• Indirect impact on natural processes (flow or silt movements) – land drainage, over-grazing, cattle access, de-forestation



– Existing controls – • Statutory roles – OPW arterial drainage, DCMNR coastal defences

• Planning and development act – Local authorities

• Foreshore act & disposal of dredge spoil permits – DCMNR

• Fishing and aquaculture – Marine Institute, Loughs Agency etc

– Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD objectives ? –• No single comprehensive control system for surface water modifications

• Registration and authorisation system is needed

• New monitoring programmes required to identify impacts and sites requiring restoration


– What additional controls are proposed? • New regulations for prior authorisation (licensing regime) or registration

systems are being considered

• Linkage to flood risk management plans under proposed Floods Directive

• Studies underway to;– Identify key pressures – Design monitoring techniques– Provide guidance on construction techniques, SuDS, restoration schemes– Electronic decision support system for regulators

• Stakeholders affected: Developers + operators proposing engineered modifications to surface waters

Abstractions

Abstractions

– Background – • Household, agriculture, recreation, industry

• 1.7 million cubic meters of water used per day

• 85% of the population is supplied by public schemes

• 550 surface schemes and 2,000 wells

– Impact on waters –• Over abstraction – reduced flow rates and levels, saline instrusion

• Protected areas (wetland protected habitats/wildlife)

Abstractions

– Existing controls – • Water supplies act

• Water acts

• Drinking water regulations

• Nitrates regulations

– Are existing controls adequate to meet WFD objectives ? –• Current controls require updating to achieve new water standards and

protect dependant wildlife and habitats

Abstractions

– What additional controls are proposed? • New regulations for single national licensing or registration systems are being

considered– License application– Consents based on water resource impact– Abstraction limits– Monitoring requirements

• Studies underway to;– Identify amount of water abstracted – Calculate minimum water resources needs– Identify un-sustainable abstractions – projected to 2015– Develop guidance and decision support tools for regulators

• Stakeholders affected: Local authorities, industrial and commercial enterprises, the agricultural sector and developers proposing abstractions

Local Issues

– Alien Species

– Protection of high status sites

• Printed by 22 June

• 6 months consultation

• 28 September – AC seminar

• RBD workshops

• Flyer in production – headlines

• LA advert / FAQ / website banner

• Project website supporting information

• A catalyst for active involvement on the plan


public participation 16 march – farmers journal article (andy doyle) 27 march – project stand at...

Documents

water pollution acts

new regulations

new emission limits

new ross river festival

local authorities2

local authorities industries

commercial ippc regulations

uwwt controls