Slaney Upper Water Management Unit Action Plan

Slaney Upper Water Management Unit Action Plan

Name Slaney Upper Water Management Unit

Area 260 km2

River Basin District South Eastern RBD

Main Counties Wicklow, Carlow

Protected Areas

Slaney River SACSlaney River Valley SACHoldenstown Bog SACWicklow Mountains SACWicklow Mountains SPA2drinking water abstractions from Slaney River and Little Slaney River

Sectoral Total Phosphorus Source (This does not imply impact)

0102030405060708090

%

STATUS/IMPACTS

Overall status 13 RWB - 1 High, 11 Good, 1 Moderate. No lakes.

Status elements Q score dictates status in all but one monitored WB, where Hydromorph and Fish bring it down from High to Good (Little Slaney River). Phys Chemical status is high where monitored. Status was extrapolated for 7 good WBs. Chemical status passes where monitored (1 water body, Slaney River main channel)

Possible Impacts - EPA Water Quality 2004

Brown’s Beck Brook - (SE_12_825 - Good); Major improvement but presence of

filamentous algae indicative of nutrient enrichment.

Carrigower - (SE_12_1535 - Moderate); Distinctly over-enriched at Merginstown

bridge in 2007. Sewage and Agriculture suspected.

Slaney - (SE_12_1524 - Good); Upper reaches of Slaney in this WMU are at Good

ecological condition.

PRESSURES/RISKS

Nutrient sources 84% of TP is Diffuse, 78% of which is from Agriculture. 16% of TP comes from WWTP.

Point pressures 5 WWTP (Rathvilly, Tullow, Baltinglass, Donard, Stratford);

3 WTP (Knockanarrigan, Tullowphelim, Rathvilly);

4 Section 4s - fish farm, DoD, Private Company, Army Camp.

3 EPA Licensed Waste Facilities

Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP) and Industrial Discharges

WWTP’s at Risk:

Rathvilly

Tullow WWTP

Baltinglass 1 WWTP

1 section 4 - at risk from existing and future insufficient assimilative capacities for BOD and Nutrients.

Quarries, Mines & Landfills 14 Quarry, 2 Landfills, no waterbodies at risk

Agriculture Small area of WMU at risk - low-lying areas to the west of the WMU.

On-site systems There are 2239 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. Knickeen and Little Slaney will more than likely deteriorate during and after felling.

Dangerous substances No waterbodies at risk from Dangerous Substances.

Morphology No waterbodies at risk. ERFB comment (060509) that most of the Carrigower has been altered in the past and there is regular maintenance / deepening of a significant section in the Merginstown Area. Also an impassable Structure on The N81 Br. over the Tuckmill Trib (12_1728) – a concrete apron with a significant drop.

Abstractions 13 abstractions - 1 risk (SE_12_1398)

Other None

Slaney Upper Water Management Unit Action PlanRiver Status

High

Good

Moderate

Poor

Bad

Yet to be determined

SELECTED ACTION PROGRAMMENB All relevant basic measures, general supplementary measures and SEA mitigation measures apply

Point Sources WWTP – refer to Table below

INDUSTRY

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.

Diffuse Sources AGRICULTURE - Good Agricultural Practice Regulations and Enforcement.

Other OTHER

Protection of drinking water, abstraction control and future licensing.

OBJECTIVES

Good status 2015

Protect

1 water body

12 water bodies

Alternative Objectives

Extended Deadlines – none

New Modifications or Development – Tullow flood alleviation feasibility study underway.

HMWB/AWB - none

Slaney Upper Water Management Unit Action Plan

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)

Rathvilly Carlow 1 Increase capacity of treatment plant.

Tullow WWTP Carlow 1 Increase capacity of treatment plant.

Point Source Discharge County Priority Measure

Baltinglass 1 WWTP Wicklow 1 Plant requiring the implement an appropriate performance management system

Point Source Discharge County Priority Measure

Baltinglass 1 WWTP Wicklow 2 Plant requiring the investigation of CSO's

River Data

Slaney Upper Water Management Unit Action Plan

Member State Code

Monito

red Y

(E

xtra

pola

ted N

)

Donor W

ate

rbody

Macro

inverte

bra

tes (Q

)

Fresh

Wate

r Pearl

Musse

l

Fish

Phyto

benth

os

(Dia

tom

s)

Morp

holo

gy

Specifi

c Polu

tants

Physio

-chem

ical

Eco

logica

l Sta

tus

Chem

ical S

tatu

s

Specia

l Are

a o

f Conse

rvatio

n

Specia

l Pro

tectio

n

Are

a

Nutrie

nt S

ensitiv

e

Wate

rs

Drin

kin

g W

ate

r

Obje

ctive

Date

obje

ctive to

be a

chie

ved

SE_12_1184 N SE_12_452 G GES 2009

SE_12_1398 Y G H G Y Y GES 2009

SE_12_1524 Y G H G H H G G Y GES 2009

SE_12_1535 Y M H M Y GES 2015

SE_12_1701 Y H H H H Y Y HES 2009

SE_12_1728 N SE_12_1437 G GES 2009

SE_12_2200 N SE_12_1437 G GES 2009

SE_12_2277 N SE_12_1437 G GES 2009

SE_12_2449 N SE_12_452 G Y GES 2009

SE_12_2450 N SE_12_452 G Y Y GES 2009

SE_12_2506 Y H G G H G Y Y GES 2009

SE_12_466 N SE_12_1437 G GES 2009

SE_12_825 Y G H G GES 2009

IE_SE_SlaneyUpper

Biological Elements Supporting Elements Protected Areas

This table outlines water body information including status and a breakdown of its elements, protected areas, objectives and timescales.