Bathing Water Profile - Carrickfinn (2016)

Bathing Water: Carrickfinn Bathing Water Code: IENWBWC160_0000_0200 Local Authority: County Council River Basin District: North Western Monitoring Point: 177786E, 421728N

1. Profile Details:

Profile Id: BWPR00328 Toilets Available: Yes Year Of Profile: 2016 Car Parking Available: Yes Year Of Identification 1998 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 Carrickfinn Blue Flag Beach (Charraig Fhinn) is located close to the town of (Anagaire) which is extent: located on the western coast of . It is located in the Bay Coastal waterbody (NW_160_0000) within the North Western River Basin District. The bathing area is designated and is approx. 0.4999km2 and the extent along the water is approximately is 1522m.

Main features of the Bathing Type of Bathing Water: Carrickfinn beach is an extensive sandy beach with a good dune system. The Water: beach is contained to the west by medium to low lying land.

Flora/Fauna, Riparian Zone: Gweedore Bay and Islands SAC and proposed NHA (Site Code: 001141) is an extensive coastal site situated between Bloody Foreland in the north and in the south, and near the towns of , and Annagry. It includes a large stretch of coastline, many islands, including , , Gola, Umfin, Lower, Cruit and Owey and areas of marine water between the islands and the coast. The terrain is generally undulating with rocky knolls of exposed rock. The site is underlain by Granodiorite, a basic igneous rock. Areas of machair grassland and sand dunes occur in several places along the coast and large areas of sandflats are exposed off the coast at low tide. Carrickfinn is an extensive sandy beach with a good dune system, situated in Gweedore Bay which is a Natural Heritage Area with many varied coastal habitats. The riparian zone is semi natural and an airport is located directly behind the bathing water. There are extensive machair grasslands and the area is noted for the presence of rare plant species. Embryonic dunes are well represented, with particularly good examples to be found at Magheraclogher and to the west of Keadue strand. Lyme Grass (Leymus arenarius), Elymus farctus and Sand Sedge (Carex arenaria) are characteristic species of the embryonic dunes. Fixed dunes with heath vegetation, including a specific type with Crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), is a feature of the site.

The site is notable for the presence of a number of rare plants species, including Slender Najas (Najas flexilis) and Petalwort (Petalophyllum ralfsii), both of which are listed on Annex II of the EU Habitats Directive. Other scarce bryophytes recorded from the site include Distichium inclinatum and Rhodobryum roseum. Also found on the site are Small-white Orchid (Pseudorchis albida), a protected species (Flora Protection Order, 1987), and the threatened, Red Data Book species, Hoary Whitlowgrass (Draba incana). The site is of high ecological value for the occurrence of a wide range of coastal habitats, including areas of well-developed machair and sand dunes. It contains thirteen habitats that are listed, four with priority status, on Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive and, as such, is of considerable conservation significance. The presence of populations of several Annex I EU Birds Directive species adds to the overall importance of the site.

Water Depth: The depth of the water on the shoreline increases within 10 meters off the shore to a depth of 1 meter and gradually increases to greater than 1 meter with the slope of the shore.

Tidal Range: The water line within the designated area is approximately 1522 meters. Tidal ranges are in the Mesomareal tidal range (2-4m). Main features of the Bathing Water:

Land Use: Land use immediately surrounding the designated bathing area consists of an airport, residential housing, forestry, peat extraction and agricultural land. A public road directly down to the beach and houses are located alongside the main road. There are pubs, hotels and restaurants located in the town of Annagry approximately 1.5km from the beach.

Local Sites of Interest: This 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 designation within the catchment area that include the bathing water itself.

Additional Information: Beach and Maritime Craft Bye Laws were implemented at Carrickfinn Beach in 2009. 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, and Bathing Water: lifeguards (seasonal). During the lifeguarded periods, extra facilities provided by the lifeguards include: emergency information, telephone access, first aid equipment and rescue equipment. There has been a no bin system (pack it in, pack it out) in place at this beach since 2010, the nearest recycling facilities are in Annagry. There are shops, restaurants etc. available town of Annagry 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. Gael scoils visit the beach during the summer bringing large numbers of students for a few hours most weeks during July and August. Throughout the season approximately 4,500 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 Carrickfinn Beach include swimming, kayaking, boating, windsurfing and other land-based activities such as football, kite flying etc. Other activities which are popular at the beach include walking and watching for dolphins, which can sometimes be seen offshore here.

Contributing catchment Carrickfinn Beach is located on the west coast of Donegal within Inishfree Bay/Gweedore Bay transitional details: waterbody (NW_160_0000), approximately 1.5km to the north west of Annagry in North West Donegal. (CFN) is located at Carrickfinn, just next to the beach itself. It is 15 minutes drive from and Gweedore, and 45 minutes from the centre of . Carrickfinn beach is situated 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 Carrickfinn Beach is approximately 1.562km2 in area.

Water Bodies draining to Bathing Area: There are no designated river waterbodies within the catchment area for Carrickfinn Beach and the beach is located within a coastal interbasin. The transitional waterbody of the Gweedore estuary (NW_160_0200) and coastal waterbody of Gweedore Bay (NW_160_000) surround the beach. There is a small surface water stream which flows on to the west end of the beach.

Land Cover and Land Use:

Topography: The catchment consists of low lying heath dune system situated on a flat plane. An airport is located directly adjacent to the bathing area itself. There is one-off housing scattered throughout the remainder of the catchment.

Land Use: Pastures account for approximately 41% of the land use within the catchment, with a further 25% and 24% being attributed to beaches/dunes/sand and intertidal flats. The airport makes up the remaining 10%.

Soils, Subsoils, Bedrock: The catchment predominantly is comprised of Thorr Granite which accounts for 95% of the bedrock within the area. The main soil types for the catchment area are Podzols-Peaty (30%), Beach, sand, gravels (30%) and gleys (24%). The subsoils are mainly Rock (35%), Blown Sand (30%) and Granite Tills (26%).

Formal Designations: Carrickfinn Beach is located within the Gweedore Bay Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and proposed National Heritage Area (NHA) (Code 001141).

Population Centres: The village of Annagry the nearest centre of population to the beach with only 140 people living in the catchment area (CSO, 2011). This population increases significantly during the Contributing catchment details:

summer tourist season.

Rainfall: The closest weather station to the designated beach is at Weather Station at Finner (IG 842 606), which is approximately 60km 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 113.6, 58.9, 79.6, 103.6 and 45.7 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 IB 777 217.

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 Carrickfinn Beach since 2003 has shown consistently good water quality at all times. From the 2010 bathing season, Carrickfinn 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 3.3 and 2.9 respectively. The Carrickfinn 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: Aviation fuel is stored at Donegal Airport and because the airport is beside the each, the planes regularly fly other the bathing area.

Source: Donegal Airport Type: Other Short Term Pressure: No

Description: There are a significant number of individual houses located throughout the catchment, which all presumably have some form of on-site effluent treatment system. Source: On Site Waste Water Treatment Systems Type: Septic Tank Short Term Pressure: No

Description: Bird faeces can affect bathing water as it contains high levels of bacteria (much higher than treated human waste).

Source: Seabirds Type: Bird colony Short Term Pressure: No

Description: The area around the beach is commonage and is not fenced. Cows cross the beach occasionally, leaving cow pats on the sand.

Source: Cows on commonage Type: Domestic animals on beach Short Term Pressure: No

Description: Very little of the estimated land use within the catchment is agricultural. Source: Agriculture Type: Run off from agricultural land Short Term Pressure: No 3.2 Potential pressures in the catchment assessed as posing risk:

Description: Heavy rainfall carries an added risk of pollution from surface runoff. Source: Rainfall Type: Rainwater discharges Short Term Pressure: Yes Nature: Low Risk Frequency: <1/month Duration: < 48 hours Risk Assessment The bathing water vulnerability for short term pollution (STP) events has been examined. The beach Methodology: has been assessed to incorporate the small size of the catchment, the absence of surface water inflows to the beach, and the historical water quality monitoring data over a 10 year period from 2004 to 2013. The STP event was calculated in conjunction with the Information Note on Short Term Pollution (STP) Events specified in the 2008 Bathing Water Quality Regulations (SI No. 79 of 2008) by the OEA Bathing Water Unit 17 May 2013. Risk Assessment Rainfall is not expected to affect the bathing water quality unless there is >20mm of rain in 24hours. Results: Details: Pollution risk is linked to weather systems and rainfall data

Management If heavy rain is anticipated, warning notices will be erected on the beach together with incident Measures: notification to the EPA. The public will be informed of the risk, likely duration and nature of the short term pollution, displayed on the beach notice boards.

After a STP event, a sample shall be taken to confirm that the event has passed; if microbiological analysis shows that no contamination was detected, then the event is not considered to be a STP. If necessary, a replacement sample can be taken in accordance with Regulation 7(4), Schedule 2 of S.I. No. 79 of 2008. If the predicted rainfall does not arrive, the warning notices will be taken down.

In the event that bathing water quality is found to be unsatisfactory, the public will be advised of this by way of public notices at the beach and through the lifeguards until the quality has improved to satisfactory standards.

3.3 Other Risks:

Assessment of the potential for proliferation There are no waterbodies within the catchment that are deemed to be at risk due to agricultural of cyanobacteria: activities. There is no indication from the water quality analysis carried out on this designated bathing water of any impact from activities in this sector.

Proposed management measures for Nutrient management would be examined in the potential pressures and risk assessments carried cyanobacteria: out on the catchment to calculate and reduce the potential risks. In the event of a problem with cyanobacteria, samples would be taken to determine the levels of chlorophyll. Depending on the concentration found, bathing conditions would be considered in relation to calm weather without surface wave actions lasting for 24 hours or longer and temporary risk signs would be erected for the duration of the climatic conditions. In the instance of high levels of chlorophyll, bathing would be prohibited, signage would be erected for the duration of the bloom and regular sampling and analysis would take place.

Assessment of the potential for proliferation Carrickfinn Beach is located on the north coast of Donegal within Gweedore Bay/Inishfree Bay of macroalgae: transitional water with strong North Atlantic wave action and the continued monitoring of the beach indicates that there are no significant problems with macroalgae on this beach.

Proposed management measures for In the event of a large volume of macroalgae being washed ashore, it would be left for natural macroalgae: dispersion with the tides if it were not causing a nuisance or health concern. If macroalgae deposits became an issue, it would be removed and disposed of by the local authority. Assessment of the potential for proliferation Marine phytoplankton bloom events have occurred on beaches in County Donegal however none of marine phytoplankton: have been recorded at Carrickfinn Beach to date hence the risk is considered very low. The sea conditions and currents off Carrickfinn Beach would likely assist in the dispersion of any such bloom should one come close to shore in the area.

Proposed management measures for marine If algal blooms develop offshore and their movement can be monitored, attention will be paid to phytoplankton: prevailing winds in the case of the bloom being driven onshore. This will allow for the situation to be monitored closely and action taken accordingly or if necessary. In a serious case in the bathing area, the bloom would be sampled to identify the dominant bloom species. The beach would be closed to the public after consultation with the local authority laboratory and public health professionals. Signage would be erected at access points with an explanation for the closure. Public co-operation would be greatly encouraged.

Additional Information: Information in relation to the quality of the water at each of the 21 designated bathing waters in County Donegal along with their compliance history is available on the EPA’s Bathing Water Website ‘Splash’ available at www.bathingwater.ie

For information on Blue Flag Beaches please visit www.antaisce.ie

Information on the Environmental Protection Agency and the work they undertake is available on the EPA website at www.epa.ie

The Marine Institute is the national agency responsible for Marine Research, Technology Development and Innovation and information is available at www.marine.ie

For information on Donegal County Council and its services please visit www.donegalcoco.ie

4 Bathing Water Status From Previous Sampling Years:

2012 2013 2014 2015 Carrickfinn Good Quality Good Quality Excellent Excellent Quality Quality

5 Contact Details:

Contact: Donegal County Council Email: [email protected] Address: Central Laboratory, The Kube, Magheranan, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal Phone: 074 9122787