South Eastern CFRAM Study UoM 11, 12 and 13 Strategic Environmental Assessment Environmental Report DOCUMENT CONTROL SHEET Client OPW Project Title South Eastern CFRAM Study Document Title IBE0601Rp0028_SE_SEA_Environmental_Report_UoM11,12&13_F01 Document No. IBE0601Rp0028 OPW Document No. 011_12_13_SEA_PART01 DCS TOC Text List of Tables List of Figures No. of This Document Appendices Comprises 1 1 108 1 1 6 Rev. Status Author(s) Reviewed By Approved By Office of Origin Issue Date R. Bingham D01 Draft Various G. Glasgow Belfast 24/06/2016 A. Gaughran F01 Final Various R. Bingham G. Glasgow Belfast 22/08/2017 Copyright Copyright - Office of Public Works. All rights reserved. No part of this report may be copied or reproduced by any means without prior written permission from the Office of Public Works. LEGAL DISCLAIMER Is le haghaidh comhairliúcháin amháin atá na dréacht-Phleananna um Bainistiú Priacal Tuile ceaptha. Ní ceart iad a úsáid ná brath orthu chun críche ar bith eile ná mar chuid de phróiseas cinnteoireachta. Féadfar iad a uasdhátú, a bheachtú nó a athrú sula gcríochnófar iad. Is ceartas forchoimeádtha é ag Coimisinéirí na nOibreacha Poiblí in Éirinn athrú a dhéánamh ar an ábhar agus/nó cur i láthair d’aon chuid den bhfaisnéis atá curtha ar fáil ar na dréacht-Phleananna um Bainistiú Priacal Tuile ar a ndiscréid féin amháin. The draft Flood Risk Management Plans are intended for the purpose of consultation only. They should not be used or relied upon for any other purpose or decision-making process. They are likely to be updated, refined or changed before finalisation. The Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland reserve the right to change the content and/or presentation of any of the information provided in the draft Flood Risk Management Plans at their sole discretion. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Office of Public Works (OPW) gratefully acknowledges the assistance, input and provision of data by a large number of organisations towards the implementation of the National CFRAM Programme and the preparation of this Draft Flood Risk Management Plan, including: − RPS Consulting Engineers − WFD Local Authorities Water and Communities Office LAWCO − Southern Regional Assembly − Carlow County Council − Cork County Council − Kildare County Council − Kilkenny County Council − Laois County Council − Limerick City and County Council − Offaly County Council − Tipperary County Council − Waterford City and County Council − Wexford County Council − Wicklow County Council − The Environmental Protection Agency − Met Éireann − All members of the National CFRAM Steering and Stakeholder Groups Maps in the Draft FRMP include Ordnance Survey of Ireland (OSI) data reproduced under licence. South Eastern CFRAM Study – UoM 11, 12 & 13 SEA Environmental Report TABLE OF CONTENTS NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY ................................................................................................................ I 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................. 1 2 FLOOD RISK IN IRELAND ........................................................................................................ 2 2.1 THE FLOODS DIRECTIVE ................................................................................................... 2 2.2 FLOODS DIRECTIVE APPLICATION IN IRELAND .................................................................... 2 2.3 THE SOUTH EASTERN CFRAM STUDY ............................................................................... 3 2.4 UOM 11, 12 AND 13 ........................................................................................................ 5 3 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT .................................................................... 7 3.1 RESPONSIBLE AUTHORITY ................................................................................................ 8 3.2 STUDY TEAM ................................................................................................................... 8 3.3 SCREENING FOR SEA ...................................................................................................... 9 3.4 SCOPING FOR SEA ........................................................................................................ 10 3.4.1 Statutory Consultees for SEA ......................................................................... 10 3.5 APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................... 10 4 METHODOLOGY AND CONSULTATIONS ............................................................................ 12 4.1 PRELIMINARY SCREENING OF FRM METHODS ................................................................. 13 4.2 MULTI -CRITERIA ANALYIS OF FRM OPTIONS ................................................................... 15 4.3 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF PREFERRED OPTIONS ................................................ 16 4.4 PLAN AND SEA OBJECTIVES .......................................................................................... 17 4.4.1 Development of Strategic Environmental Objectives ..................................... 17 4.5 GUIDANCE ..................................................................................................................... 21 4.6 DIFFICULTIES AND DATA GAPS ....................................................................................... 21 4.7 CONSULTATIONS ............................................................................................................ 21 4.7.1 Scoping Consultations .................................................................................... 21 4.7.2 Transboundary Consultations ........................................................................ 22 4.7.3 Proposed Consultation on Draft Plan and Environmental Report .................. 22 5 DESCRIPTION OF THE PLAN ................................................................................................ 23 5.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 23 5.2 UOM 11, 12 AND 13 FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN .................................................... 23 5.3 GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE ..................................................................................................... 25 5.4 TEMPORAL SCOPE ......................................................................................................... 26 6 BASELINE AND RELEVANT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ................................................... 27 6.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 27 6.2 BIODIVERSITY , FLORA & FAUNA ...................................................................................... 27 6.3 POPULATION & HUMAN HEALTH ...................................................................................... 37 6.4 GEOLOGY , SOILS & LANDUSE ......................................................................................... 40 6.5 WATER .......................................................................................................................... 46 IBE0601Rp0028 I Rev F01 South Eastern CFRAM Study – UoM 11, 12 & 13 SEA Environmental Report 6.6 AIR ............................................................................................................................... 52 6.7 CLIMATE ........................................................................................................................ 52 6.8 MATERIAL ASSETS ......................................................................................................... 54 6.9 CULTURAL , ARCHAEOLOGICAL & ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE ........................................... 56 6.10 LANDSCAPE & VISUAL AMENITY ...................................................................................... 57 6.11 FISHERIES , AQUACULTURE & ANGLING ........................................................................... 59 6.12 AMENITY , COMMUNITY AND SOCIO -ECONOMICS .............................................................. 62 6.13 EVOLUTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE ABSENCE OF THE PLAN .................................... 65 7 REVIEW OF RELEVANT, PLANS, PROGRAMMES AND POLICIES ................................... 68 7.1 INTERACTION WITH OTHER RELEVANT PLANS AND PROGRAMMES ..................................... 68 8 PROPOSED OPTIONS / ALTERNATIVES ............................................................................. 71 8.1 INTRODUCTION TO PROPOSED OPTIONS / ALTERNATIVES ................................................. 71 8.2 DO NOTHING ALTERNATIVE ............................................................................................ 71 8.3 NON -STRUCTURAL OPTIONS / ALTERNATIVES ................................................................. 71 8.3.1 UoM Scale Measures ..................................................................................... 71 8.4 STRUCTURAL OPTIONS / ALTERNATIVES .......................................................................... 74 9 ASSESSMENT ......................................................................................................................... 76 9.1 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................. 76 9.2 UOM SCALE OPTIONS