Bandon Ilen Catchment Assessment 2010-2015 (HA 20)
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Bandon Ilen Catchment Assessment 2010-2015 (HA 20) Catchment Science & Management Unit Environmental Protection Agency December 2018 Version no. 3 Preface This document provides a summary of the characterisation outcomes for the water resources of the Bandon Ilen Catchment, which have been compiled and assessed by the EPA, with the assistance of local authorities and RPS consultants. The information presented includes status and risk categories of all water bodies, details on protected areas, significant issues, significant pressures, load reduction assessments, recommendations on future investigative assessments, areas for actions and environmental objectives. The characterisation assessments are based on information available to the end of 2015. Additional, more detailed characterisation information is available to public bodies on the EPA WFD Application via the EDEN portal, and more widely on the catchments.ie website. The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of the situation in the catchment and help inform further action and analysis of appropriate measures and management strategies. This document is supported by, and can be read in conjunction with, a series of other documents which provide explanations of the elements it contains: 1. An explanatory document setting out the full characterisation process, including water body, subcatchment and catchment characterisation. 2. The Final River Basin Management Plan, which can be accessed on: www.catchments.ie. 3. A published paper on Source Load Apportionment Modelling, which can be accessed at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3318/bioe.2016.22 4. A published paper on the role of pathways in transferring nutrients to streams and the relevance to water quality management strategies, which can be accessed at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/10.3318/bioe.2016.19.pdf 5. An article on Investigative Assessments which can be accessed at: https://www.catchments.ie/download/catchments-newsletter-sharing-science-stories- june-2016/ Table of contents 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 1 2 Water body status and risk of not meeting environmental objectives .......................... 3 2.1 Surface water ecological status ........................................................................................... 3 2.1.1 Rivers and lakes ............................................................................................................................. 3 2.1.2 Transitional and coastal (TraC) ................................................................................................. 3 2.2 Groundwater status ................................................................................................................. 7 2.3 Risk of not meeting surface water environmental objectives .................................... 7 2.3.1 Rivers and lakes .............................................................................................................................. 7 2.3.2 Transitional and coastal (TraC) ................................................................................................. 8 2.4 Risk of not meeting groundwater environmental objectives ..................................... 8 2.5 Protected areas ....................................................................................................................... 10 2.5.1 Drinking water protected areas ............................................................................................... 10 2.5.2 Bathing waters .............................................................................................................................. 10 2.5.3 Shellfish areas ................................................................................................................................ 10 2.5.4 Nutrient sensitive areas .............................................................................................................. 10 2.5.5 Natura 2000 sites ......................................................................................................................... 11 2.6 Heavily modified water bodies .......................................................................................... 12 3 Significant issues in At Risk water bodies .............................................................................. 12 4 Significant pressures ..................................................................................................................... 12 4.1 Water bodies ........................................................................................................................... 12 4.1.1 Rivers, lakes, transitional and coastal .................................................................................... 12 4.1.2 Groundwater .................................................................................................................................. 12 4.2 Pressure type ........................................................................................................................... 13 4.2.1 Agriculture ...................................................................................................................................... 13 4.2.2 Other significant pressures ....................................................................................................... 13 4.2.3 Hydromorphology ....................................................................................................................... 14 4.2.4 Forestry ............................................................................................................................................ 14 4.2.5 Urban Waste Water Treatment Plants .................................................................................. 14 4.2.6 Diffuse urban ................................................................................................................................. 14 4.2.7 Extractive industry ........................................................................................................................ 14 5 Load reduction assessment ........................................................................................................ 18 5.1 River water body load reductions ..................................................................................... 18 5.2 TraC load reductions ............................................................................................................. 19 6 Further characterisation and local catchment assessments ............................................ 22 7 Catchment summary ................................................................................................................... 22 8 Areas for Action ............................................................................................................................ 22 Process of Selection .............................................................................................................................. 23 8.1 Outcomes of process ........................................................................................................... 23 9 Environmental Objectives .......................................................................................................... 25 9.1 Surface Water Bodies .......................................................................................................... 25 9.2 Groundwater Bodies ............................................................................................................ 26 10 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................... 26 1 Introduction This catchment includes the area drained by the Rivers Bandon and Ilen, and all streams entering tidal water between Templebreedy Battery and Mizen Head, Co. Cork, draining a total area of 1,803 km². The largest urban centre in the catchment is Bandon. The other main urban centres are Kinsale, Clonakilty, Skibbereen and Dunmanway. The total population of the catchment is approximately 71,210 with a population density of 39 people per km². The eastern part of this catchment is drained by the Minanae River, which flows to sea via Ringabella Creek, south of the mouth of Cork Harbour. West of this, the area around Belgooly is drained by the southerly flowing Stick and Farranamoy Rivers. The Bandon River rises on the slopes of the Maughanaclea Hills and flows east where it is joined by the Shanacrane East, Shehy Beg and Caha Rivers. The Bandon then flows past Dunmanway, before turning east and flowing along a limestone-floored valley lying between ridges of sandstone uplands, typical of the south Munster landscape. The Bealnascartane and Glan Rivers then join the Bandon, followed by the Blackwater River from the north. The river then flows through Bandon, where it is joined by the Bridewall and Knockbrogan Rivers. Downstream of Bandon, the river is joined by the River Brinny before turning southeast at Inishannon, where it becomes tidal. It then flows though the sinuous Bandon Estuary before entering the sea via Kinsale Harbour at Preghane Point. The Argideen River rises north of Rosscarbery, flowing through Shannon Vale before being joined by the Owenkeagh River downstream of Kilmaloda Bridge. It then turns south at Timoleague, flowing out to sea at Courtmacsherry and Coolmain Bay. The area around Clonakilty