Bathing Water Profile - Portsalon (2016) Bathing Water: Portsalon Bathing Water Code: IENWBWC220_0000_0300 Local Authority: Donegal County Council River Basin District: North Western Monitoring Point: 225049E, 438268N 1. Profile Details: Profile Id: BWPR00338 Toilets Available: Yes Year Of Profile: 2016 Car Parking Available: Yes Year Of Identification 1992 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 Portsalon (Port an tSalainn) Blue Flag Beach is located close to the village of Portsalon which is located extent: on the Fanad peninsula in northern Donegal. It is located in the Lough Swilly Coastal waterbody (NW_220_0000) within the North Western River Basin District. The bathing area is designated and is approx. 0.588 km2 and the extent along the water is approximately is 3060 m. Main features of the Bathing Type of Bathing Water: Portsalon beach consists of a sandy beach along the Swilly Estuary. These are Water: exposed at times during the tidal phase during the day. The beach is contained to the north by low lying land and sheltered to the south by the high rocky headland of Knockalla. Flora/Fauna, Riparian Zone: The riparian zone is semi natural. The Horn Head to Fanad Head SPA is situated near to this beach catchment area is of high importance for Chough and Peregrine, both species that are listed on Annex I of the E.U. Birds Directive. It also supports an internationally important assemblage of breeding seabirds, which includes nationally important populations of seven species, i.e. Fulmar, Cormorant, Shag, Kittiwake, Guillemot, Razorbill and Black Guillemot. The Greenland White- fronted Goose and Barnacle Goose populations are also of national importance. Both of these species, as well as Whooper Swan, are listed on Annex I of the E.U. Birds Directive. A good diversity of other wildfowl species occurs, notably Pochard. The diversity of breeding waders is also of importance, especially Dunlin, a localised species inIreland and also one that is listed on Annex I of the E.U. Birds Directive, and Lapwing, a declining and Red listed species. Water Depth: The depth of the water on the shoreline increases within 10 meters off the shore to a depth of 1 meter. Due to scouring around the rocks, there are deeper pools at either end of the beach. A sand bar has built up along the beach which is visible at low tide. Tidal Range: The water line within the designated area is approximately 3060 meters. Tidal ranges are in the Mesomareal tidal range (2-4m). Land Use: Land use immediately surrounding the designated bathing area consists of residential housing, agricultural land and a golf course. There is a public road directly down to the beach and houses, holiday homes and a caravan park are located alongside the main road. There are also pubs, shops and restaurants located in the village of Portsalon approximately 0.5km 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 atLisfannonBeach 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 Main features of the Bathing Water: beach and dune systems. Activities available at the Facilities:Facilities available at the beach include car parking, toilets, information boards, recycling Bathing Water: facilities (near golf club), 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 the village of Portsalon approximately 0.5km 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 500 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 Portsalon Beach include swimming, surfing, wind surfing and other land-based activities such as football, kite flying etc. Contributing catchment Portsalon Beach is located on the south west coast of Donegal on the Fanad Peninsula approximately details: 0.5km from Portsalon in North West Donegal. The 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 Portsalon Beach is approximately 23.35km2 in area. Water Bodies draining to Bathing Area: This bathing water is located within the Lough Swilly coastal waterbody (NW_220_0000) which is a tidal estuary. There a two main rivers within the catchment, the Drumany Burn (NW_39_2418) which runs out into the middle of the designated bathing area, and streams at Portsalon including NW_39_728, NW_39_1230 and NW_39_1497 which enter the beach at the golf course on the North side of the beach. Land Cover and Land Use: Topography: The catchment consists of an upland area to the north east and changes to lower lying land within the main catchment area towards the coast. Knockalla headland is situated to the eastern end of the bathing water. There are a number of one-off houses scattered throughout the remainder of the catchment. Land Use: Peat Bogs account for approximately 22% of the land use within the catchment along with complex cultivation(18%), moors and heath (18%), Land principally occupied by agriculture with areas of natural vegetation (15%) and pastures (15%). Soils, Subsoils, Bedrock: The catchment predominantly is comprised of Slieve Tooey Quartzite formation which accounts for 75% of the bedrock within the area. Termon formation is also found accounting for 8% of the bedrock within the catchment. The main soil types for the catchment area are Gley soils (35%) and Lithosols/Regosols, Acidic (12%) and subsoils comprise of Bedrock at surface (41%) and Quartzite Till (27%). Formal Designations: PortsalonBeach is located within the Ballymastocker Dunes proposed National Heritage Area (NHA) (Code 001089). Population Centres: The village of Portsalon itself is the nearest centre of population to the beach with a population of 350 given for the Greenfort electoral division in 2011 (CSO). This population increases significantly during the summer tourist season. Rainfall: The closest weather station to the designated beach is at Malin Head Weather Station (IC 418 575), which is approximately 30km 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 250 382. 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 Portsalon Beach since 2003 has shown consistently good water quality at all times. From the 2010 bathing season, Portsalon 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 12.9 and 20.3 respectively. The Portsalon 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: 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: Approximately 35% of the land use within the catchment is agricultural. The catchment area is predominantly gley soil types with adequate drainage capacity. Source: Agriculture Type: Run off from agricultural land Short Term Pressure: No Description: Knockalla Caravan Park, located at the grid reference IC 24980 37457, has a section 4 license granted by Donegal County Council. The facility has caravans/mobile homes located within the site which is busiest during the summer season. Source: Knockalla Caravan Park Type: Discharges from tourist resorts 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 Wastewater Treatment Systems Type: Septic Tank 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.