Bathing Water Profile - Culdaff (2016)
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Bathing Water Profile - Culdaff (2016) Bathing Water: Culdaff Bathing Water Code: IENWBWC230_0000_0200 Local Authority: Donegal County Council River Basin District: North Western Monitoring Point: 254278E, 450007N 1. Profile Details: Profile Id: BWPR00329 Toilets Available: Yes Year Of Profile: 2016 Car Parking Available: Yes Year Of Identification 1994 Disabled Access: No Version Number: 1 First Aid Available: Yes Sensitive Area: Yes Dogs Allowed: Yes Lifesaving Facilities: No Figure 1: Bathing Water 2. Bathing Water Details: Map 1: Bathing Water Location & Extent Bathing Water location and Culdaff Blue Flag Beach is located close to the village of Culdaff (Cúil Dabhcha), which is located on the extent: north east coast of the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal. It is located in the North Atlantic Seaboard Coastal waterbody (NW_230_0000) within the North Western River Basin District. The bathing area that is designated is approx. 0.2166km2 and the extent along the water is approximately is 900m Main features of the Bathing Type of Bathing Water: Culdaff beach consists of a sandy beach with two rock outcrops at the south-east Water: of the beach. These are exposed at times during the tidal phase during the day. The beach is contained to the west by sand dunes and to the north-west by the Culdaff River. Flora/Fauna, Riparian Zone: The North Inishowen Coast comprises an excellent variety of coastal habitats including high rock cliffs, offshore islands, sand dunes, salt marshes, a large intertidal bay and rocky shingle and sandy beaches. The Riparian zone is semi natural and modified with a car park. This northern site is of high conservation value because of the extensive area of relatively unspoilt coastal habitats and the range of plant and animal species that this habitat supports. Of particular note is the presence of good examples of EU Habitats Directive Annex I priority habitats, fixed dunes and machair, sea cliffs, vegetated shingle banks, dry heath and intertidal sand and mud flats. The diversity of bird species is of particular note, with wintering waterfowl, breeding seabirds and breeding waders present. Important populations of three EU Birds Directive Annex I species occur including the Barnacle Goose, the Peregrine and the Chough. Water Depth: The depth of the water on the shoreline increases within 2 meters off the shore to a depth of 1 meter and rapidly increases to greater than 2 meters with the slope of the shore. Adjacent to the rock outcrops there are deeper scoured out areas visible. Tidal Range: The water line within the designated area is approximately 900 meters. Tidal ranges are in the mesotidal range. Land Use: Land use immediately surrounding the designated bathing area consists of car parking facilities, picnic area, play ground, sports facility and agricultural land. A public road runs behind the beach and a pub and houses are located to the eastern end of the beach to the far side of the road. Local Sites of Interest: This northern site is of high conservation value because of the extensive area of relatively unspoilt coastal habitats and the range of plant and animal species that these habitats support. The catchment area is an idyllic location for bird watching and ecological activities having a wide diversity of both plant and animal species. There are a number of sites of historical significance within the catchment area that include megalithic tombs, high crosses and standing stones. There is a pier to the north of the beach beyond the Culdaff river estuary. Additional Information: Beach and Maritime Craft Bye Laws were implemented at Culdaff beach in 2009. Main features of the Bathing Water: These Bye Laws were introduced to regulate and /or prohibit the use of personal watercrafts, recreational crafts, vehicles, horses, dogs, camping, vendors, water sport schools and to protect the beach and dune systems. Activities available at the Facilities:Facilities available at the beach include car parking, toilets (seasonal), information boards, Bathing Water: recycling, refuse bins and lifeguards (seasonal). During the lifeguarded periods, extra facilities provided by the lifeguards include: emergency information, telephone access, first aid equipment and rescue equipment. There are shops, restaurants etc available in Culdaff village approximately 1.5km from the beach. Visitor Numbers: Visitor numbers to the beach vary throughout the season. The maximum number of visitors to the beach during a high season day has been estimated at approximately 300 people with approximately half of this number swimming. Throughout the season approximately 6,000 people have been estimated to visit the beach. Visitor numbers are representative of the visitors recorded by the lifeguards that are on duty during the bathing season. Activities: Activities at Culdaff beach include swimming, kayaking, boating, windsurfing and other land- based activities such as football, kite flying etc. It is also becoming a popular centre for rock climbing, canoeing, surfing and shore angling and people come from all over just to walk along the beautiful golden sands of the “Long Strand”. Contributing catchment Culdaff Beach is located in the north of the Inishowen Peninsula, approximately 1.5km to the north east of details: Culdaff town in North West Donegal. The beach is situated at the mouth of Culdaff Bay on the coast of County Donegal in the North Western International River Basin District. Contributing Catchment: The contributing catchment of the designated bathing area for Culdaff Beach is approximately 64km2 in area. Water Bodies draining to Bathing Area: The Culdaff River flows in a North West direction from its headwaters towards Culdaff village, approximately 3km from the village the river changes direction and flows toward the north-east and enters the sea to the northern end of Culdaff beach. The Culdaff River is tidal to a point just above Culdaff village. There are three tributaries that join the Culdaff River called the Carrowmore, Sruhanamenagh and Tirraboy Rivers. The Carrowmore River rises in Crockrawer and flows in a north-easterly direction until they join the main Culdaff River. The Sruhanamenagh River flows in a similar direction with its headwaters rising in the Sheskibane area. The Tirraboy Rivers rises in the Carrowblagh area and flows west to join the Culdaff River. The catchment codes are NW_40_1089, NW_40_719, NW_40_720, NW_40_1074, NW_40_990 and NW_40_1097 which drain into the Northern Atlantic Seaboard (NW_230_0000). Land Cover and Land Use: Topography: The catchment consists of an upland area to the south-west and changes to lower lying land as the main river channels flow towards the coast. There are a number of small lakes in the south- east including Black Lough, Effish Lake, Callybear Lough and Drumlee Lough. Culdaff and Gleneely villages are the main population centres with on-off housing scattered throughout the remainder of the catchment. Land Use: Peat bogs (39%), Pastures (38%) and Land Principally occupied by agriculture with areas of natural vegetation (13%) account for 90% of the land use within the catchment. Soils, Subsoils, Bedrock: The catchment bedrock is predominantly comprised of Fahan Grit (35%) and Fahan slate (22%). The main soil/subsoil types for the catchment area are blanket peat (49%) and Metamorphic Till (39%). Formal Designations: Culdaff Beach is located within the North West Inishowen Coastal Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and National Heritage Area (NHA) (Code 002012). Population Centres: Culdaff village is the nearest centre of population to the beach with a population of 955 in the Culdaff electoral district. This population increases significantly during the summer tourist season. Gleneely Village, which is within the catchment area, has a population of 824 for the electoral area (CSO, Census 2011). Rainfall: The closest weather station to the designated beach is at Malin Head Weather Station (IC 418 575), which is approximately 15km as the crow flies from the beach. During the bathing water season (2013-2015), the average rainfall (mm) for May, June, July, August and September is 108.7, 63.4, 91.7, 99.6 and 40.8 respectively. Details of the rainfall data can be obtained throughwww.met.ie Monitoring point details: The monitoring point for this bathing water is located at the grid reference point IC 542 500. Reason for selection of the The location of the bathing water monitoring point is the location where most bathers are expected to use monitoring point: the bathing water. The bathing water monitoring point location chosen is always within the area patrolled by the Lifeguards and is usually the area of the beach most heavily used by the public. This area can vary somewhat on this beach depending on tidal and weather influences and is marked by the Lifeguards flags. Water quality assessment: The bathing water quality monitoring carried out at Culdaff Beach since 2003 has shown consistently good water quality at all times. From the 2010 bathing season, Culdaff Beach has achieved good water quality status and complied with the EU guide and mandatory values as set out in the Bathing Water Directive (2006/76/EC) and the Quality of Bathing Water Regulations, 2008 (S.I. 79 of 2008). In the four year assessment period from 2012 to 2015, the current classification for this bathing water is Excellent Quality. The 95%ile classification of E. coli and Enterococci are 2.4 and 9.5 respectively. The Culdaff Beach bathing water will qualify for Blue Flag Status in 2016 based on water quality. 3. Identified Pressures: Map 2: Bathing Water Catchment 3.1 Potential pressures in the catchment assessed as posing no risk: Description: The catchment comprises of Pastures (38%) and Land Principally occupied by agriculture with areas of natural vegetation (13%). No intensive agricultural activities are taking place within the catchment. The catchment area is predominantly metamorphic till and blanket peat soil types. Source: Agriculture Type: Run off from agricultural land Short Term Pressure: No Description: The main municipal wastewater treatment system is located within Culdaff village at grid reference 253070 449351.