Moy Arterial Drainage Scheme
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Office of Public Works Arterial Drainage Maintenance Works - Moy Arterial Drainage Scheme Natura Impact Statement April 2016 Office of Public Works Main Street Headford Co Galway Ireland JBA Project Manager Tom Sampson 24 Grove Island Corbally Limerick Ireland Revision History Revision Ref / Date Issued Amendments Issued to Nathy Gilligan, OPW v1.1 / February 2016 Tony Brew, OPW Final Report. Updates to Nathy Gilligan, OPW V2.0 / March 2016 Crayfish mitigation. Tony Brew, OPW Final Report. Further updates Nathy Gilligan, OPW V2.1 / March 2016 to Crayfish mitigation. Tony Brew, OPW Final Report. Further updates Nathy Gilligan, OPW V2.2 / April 2016 to Crayfish mitigation and table Tony Brew, OPW 6.1. Contract This report describes work commissioned by the Office of Public Works, by a letter dated 05/06/2015. The Office of Public Works’s representative for the contract was Tony Brew. Laura Thomas, Tom Sampson, Rachael Brady, Kim Jennings, Helen Archer, Kieran Sheehan, Jon Harrison, Fran Tobin, Nick Crouch, Catherine Jones, Darren Whitaker, Rob Harrison, Niamh Sweeney and Anne Murray of JBA Consulting carried out this work. Prepared by .................................................. Laura Thomas BA MRes MCIEEM Senior Ecologist ....................................................................... Niamh Sweeney BSc., MSc. Ecologist Reviewed by ................................................. Anne Murray BSc MCIEEM Senior Ecologist Purpose This document has been prepared as a Final Report for the OPW. JBA Consulting accepts no responsibility or liability for any use that is made of this document other than by the Client for the purposes for which it was originally commissioned and prepared. JBA Consulting has no liability regarding the use of this report except to the OPW. Copyright © JBA Consulting Engineers and Scientists Ltd 2016 Carbon Footprint A printed copy of the main text in this document will result in a carbon footprint of 338g if 100% post-consumer recycled paper is used and 338g if primary-source paper is used. These figures assume the report is printed in black and white on A4 paper and in duplex. JBA is aiming to reduce its per capita carbon emissions. 2015s2916 Moy NIS v2.2 i Executive Summary JBA Consulting has been commissioned by the Office of Public Works (OPW) to provide environmental consultancy services in relation to statutory arterial drainage maintenance activities for the period 2016-2020. In 2014, following the methodology outlined in Ryan Hanley (2014a), a screening assessment was conducted to assess the likely significant effects on Natura 2000 sites of the proposed drainage maintenance activities in the Moy Arterial Drainage Scheme in accordance with Article 6(3) of the Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) (Ryan Hanley, 2014). Three source > pathway > receptor chains were examined to assess the likely impact of drainage maintenance activities on Natura 2000 sites; surface water, land and air, and groundwater pathways. The results of this screening exercise (Ryan Hanley, 2014) identified that significant adverse impacts could not be excluded on the following Natura 2000 sites: Balla Turlough SAC (000463) Ballinafad SAC (002081) Killala Bay/Moy Estuary SAC (000458) River Moy SAC (002298) Killala Bay/Moy Estuary SPA (004036) Lough Conn and Lough Cullin SPA (004228) As a result it was necessary to produce a Natura Impact Statement (NIS) in support of a Stage 2 Appropriate Assessment to further examine the potential direct and indirect impacts of the proposed works on the integrity and interest features of the above Natura 2000 sites, alone and in-combination with other plans and projects, taking into account the site's structure, function and conservation objectives. Further examination of the potential sources of impact on the Natura 2000 sites above, looking at surface water; land and air; and groundwater pathways, was conducted. Where potentially significant adverse impacts were identified, a range of mitigation and avoidance measures have been stipulated to help offset them. The NIS has concluded that, given the avoidance and mitigation measures suggested, the proposed drainage maintenance operations in the Moy Arterial Drainage Scheme will not have a significant adverse impact on the above Natura 2000 sites 2015s2916 Moy NIS v2.2 ii Contents Executive Summary .......................................................................................................... ii 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ............................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Legislative Context ................................................................................................ 1 1.3 Appropriate Assessment Process ......................................................................... 1 1.4 Methodology .......................................................................................................... 2 2 Arterial Drainage Maintenance ........................................................................... 4 2.1 Background ............................................................................................................ 4 2.2 Drainage Maintenance Activities ........................................................................... 4 2.3 The Moy Arterial Drainage Scheme ...................................................................... 10 2.4 Drainage Maintenance Works Proposed for the Moy Arterial Drainage Scheme . 10 3 Screening Assessment Results ......................................................................... 12 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 12 3.2 Screening Assessment Conclusions ..................................................................... 13 4 Natura 2000 sites within the Zone of Influence of Drainage Maintenance Activities ............................................................................................................... 14 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 14 4.2 Balla Turlough SAC (000463) ................................................................................ 14 4.3 Ballinafad SAC (002081) ....................................................................................... 16 4.4 Killala Bay/Moy Estuary SAC (000458) ................................................................. 18 4.5 River Moy SAC (002298) ....................................................................................... 29 4.6 Killala Bay/Moy Estuary SPA (004036) ................................................................. 33 4.7 Lough Conn and Lough Cullin SPA (004228) ....................................................... 36 4.8 Description of the receiving environment - Ecological Walkover Survey Results . 38 5 Appropriate Assessment .................................................................................... 45 5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 45 5.2 Identification of Potential Sources of Impact ......................................................... 45 5.3 Impact Assessment ............................................................................................... 50 6 Avoidance and Mitigation Measures ................................................................. 71 6.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 71 7 Conclusions ......................................................................................................... 72 Appendices........................................................................................................................ I A OPW Arterial Drainage Maintenance Service: Environmental Management Protocols and Standard Operating Procedures ............................................... I B Maps of the Moy Arterial Drainage Scheme...................................................... II C Drainage Maintenance Activities Proposed for Moy 2016-2020 ..................... III D Watercourses Screened into Appropriate Assessment .................................. IV 2015s2916 Moy NIS v2.2 List of Figures Figure 1-1: The Appropriate Assessment Process (from: Appropriate Assessment of Plans and Projects in Ireland - Guidance for Planning Authorities, DEHLG, 2009) ................................................................................................................. 2 Figure 2-1: Examples of Plane Bed to Low Gradient Channels on the Yellow River upstream of Kiltimagh (left) and on the River Moy near Carrowkeribly Lough (Right) ................................................................................................................ 5 Figure 2-2: Examples of Medium to High Gradient Channels on the Lough Talt River near Aclare (left) and on the Owengarve River downstream of Dawros Bridge (right) ................................................................................................................. 6 Figure 2-3: Map of the Moy Arterial Drainage Scheme ..................................................... 10 Figure 4-1: Map of Balla Turlough SAC (000463) and arterial