County Kilkenny Groundwater Protection Scheme Volume I: Main Report July 2002 Dunmore Cave, County Kilkenny (photograph Terence P. Dunne) Tom Gunning, B.E., C.Eng., F.I.E.I. Ruth Buckley and Vincent Fitzsimons Directo r of Services Groundwater Section Kilkenny County Council Geological Survey of Ireland County Hall Beggars Bush Kilkenny Haddington Road Dublin 4 County Kilkenny Groundwater Protection Scheme Authors Ruth Buckley, Groundwater Section, Geological Survey of Ireland Vincent Fitzsimons, Groundwater Section, Geological Survey of Ireland with contributions by: Susan Hegarty, Quaternary Section Geological Survey of Ireland Cecilia Gately, Groundwater Section Geological Survey of Ireland Subsoils mapped by: Susan Hegarty, Quaternary Section, Geological Survey of Ireland Supervision: Willie Warren, Quaternary Section, Geological Survey of Ireland in collaboration with: Kilkenny County Council 2 County Kilkenny Groundwater Protection Scheme – Volume I Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................ 5 1.1 GROUNDWATER PROTECTION – A PRIORITY ISSUE FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES ........................................... 5 1.2 GROUNDWATER – A RESOURCE AT RISK.................................................................................................... 5 1.3 GROUNDWATER PROTECTION THROUGH LAND-USE PLANNING: A MEANS OF PREVENTING CONTAMINATION................................................................................................................................................. 6 1.4 ‘GROUNDWATER PROTECTION SCHEMES’ – A NATIONAL METHODOLOGY FOR PREVENTING GROUNDWATER POLLUTION................................................................................................................................6 1.5 OBJECTIVES OF THE COUNTY KILKENNY GROUNDWATER PROTECTION SCHEME....................................... 7 1.6 SCOPE OF COUNTY KILKENNY GROUNDWATER PROTECTION SCHEME....................................................... 8 1.7 KILKENNY COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN.................................................................................................. 9 1.8 STRUCTURE OF REPORT .............................................................................................................................. 9 1.9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................... 9 2 BEDROCK GEOLOGY............................................................................................................................ 12 2.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 12 2.2 CAMBRIAN ROCKS.................................................................................................................................... 12 2.3 ORDOVICIAN ROCKS................................................................................................................................. 13 2.4 IGNEOUS ACTIVITY................................................................................................................................... 16 2.5 SILURIAN .................................................................................................................................................. 16 2.6 DEVONIAN ................................................................................................................................................ 16 2.7 LOWER CARBONIFEROUS ROCKS .............................................................................................................. 17 2.7.1 Courceyan Rocks............................................................................................................................. 17 2.7.2 Visean Rocks ................................................................................................................................... 18 2.8 UPPER CARBONIFEROUS ROCKS ............................................................................................................... 19 2.8.1 Namurian Rocks.............................................................................................................................. 19 2.8.2 Westphalian Rocks .......................................................................................................................... 19 2.9 POST CARBONIFEROUS ROCKS ................................................................................................................. 20 2.10 STRUCTURAL HISTORY......................................................................................................................... 20 3 SUBSOIL (QUATERNARY) GEOLOGY............................................................................................... 22 3.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 22 3.2 SUBSOIL TYPES......................................................................................................................................... 22 3.2.1 Till................................................................................................................................................... 22 3.2.2 Sands and gravels ........................................................................................................................... 22 3.2.3 ‘Till with gravel’ ............................................................................................................................. 23 3.2.4 Alluvial deposits.............................................................................................................................. 23 3.2.5 Peat ................................................................................................................................................. 23 3.2.6 Lake deposits................................................................................................................................... 23 3.3 DEPTH TO BEDROCK ................................................................................................................................. 23 3.4 ICE FLOW DIRECTION ............................................................................................................................... 24 4 HYDROGEOLOGY AND AQUIFER CLASSIFICATION.................................................................. 25 4.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 25 4.2 DATA AVAILABILITY ................................................................................................................................25 4.3 RAINFALL, EVAPOTRANSPIRATION AND RECHARGE................................................................................. 25 4.4 GROUNDWATER USAGE ............................................................................................................................ 26 4.5 BACKGROUND TO AQUIFER CLASSIFICATION ........................................................................................... 26 4.5.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 26 4.5.2 Bedrock Aquifers............................................................................................................................. 26 4.5.3 Sand/Gravel Aquifers...................................................................................................................... 27 4.5.4 Aquifer Classification Criteria........................................................................................................ 28 4.6 CLASSIFICATION OF THE SOUTHERN UPLANDS SLATE, SANDSTONE AND GRANITE AQUIFERS ................. 32 4.7 CLASSIFICATION OF THE ORDOVICIAN VOLCANIC AQUIFER (CA, CARS, KI, FV, IV) ............................... 35 4.8 CLASSIFICATION OF THE KILTORCAN SANDSTONE AQUIFER (KT AND PG).............................................. 36 4.9 CLASSIFICATION OF THE LOWER LIMESTONE SHALE AQUIFER (BV, BT) ................................................. 38 4.10 CLASSIFICATION OF THE BALLYSTEEN LIMESTONE AQUIFERS (BA AND BABB).................................. 38 3 County Kilkenny Groundwater Protection Scheme – Volume I 4.11 CLASSIFICATION OF THE WAULSORTIAN LIMESTONE AQUIFER (WA).................................................. 39 4.12 CLASSIFICATION OF THE CROSSPATRICK, KILSHEELAN AND SILVERSPRING AQUIFERS (CS, SS, KS).. 41 4.13 CLASSIFICATION OF THE AGHMACART, DURROW AND BUTLERSGROVE LIMESTONE AQUIFER (AG, DW, BU) 42 4.14 CLASSIFICATION OF THE DOLOMITE AQUIFER (BADO, WADO, BUDO, AGDO)................................... 43 4.15 CLASSIFICATION OF THE KARST LIMESTONE AQUIFER (BM, BMDO, CL) ........................................... 45 4.16 CLASSIFICATION OF THE NAMURIAN AND WESTPHALIAN SHALE AQUIFER (LS, KN, KNCF, BE, MC, CQ, LF, LFGC) ................................................................................................................................................. 48 4.17 CLASSIFICATION OF THE SWAN AND CLAY GALL SANDSTONE AQUIFERS (CQSS AND CG).................. 49 4.18 CLASSIFICATION OF THE SAND AND GRAVEL AQUIFERS ...................................................................... 50 4.18.1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................