[SouthernRegion] 5.2.3 Soils,GeologyandHydrogeology Soilsandwater(includinggroundwater)areconsideredkeyenvironmentalmediaforsupportinglife. Beyondthatbasicfunctionsoilsalsoprovidebenefitsnotleastintermsoftheirvalueasamaterial asset for building, agriculture, afforestation etc. The quality of soils and groundwater quality in Ireland are considered generally good although there are pressures impacting on its longterm protectionandmaintenanceparticularlyfromlandusechanges,intensificationofuse,urbanisation anddisposaloforganicwastestosoils(EPA,2008).Despiteitsimportance,thereislittleintheway ofdirectEUornationallegislationobligingIrelandtomaintainsoilquality,howeverindirectlyissues such as contaminated land have been dealt with through other legislation (e.g. waste). In comparison implementation of the Water Framework Directive and the POMs provides for protectionofourgroundwaterresource. Thekey issuesassociatedwithwastemanagementand soils,geologyandhydrogeologyrelateto: Soilsquality; Historicunregulatedwastedisposalsites,illegallandfills,closedlandfills; Groundwater contamination leachate from poorly managed waste facilities; historic unregulatedwastedisposalsites,illegallandfills,closedlandfillsandillegaldumpsites; Generationofwastefromminingwaste,quarriesetc.; Potentialimpactstodrinkingwatersourcedfromgroundwater;and Invasivespecies(discussedpreviouslyunderbiodiversity). GiventhestrategicnatureoftheRWMP,focusofthebaselineforsoilsandgeologyisataregional level.Itisfocussedonexistingoverallsoilquality,presenceofhistoriclandfills,presenceofquarries and mines and groundwater vulnerability for the Region and known activities which have the potentialtoimpactongeology,soilandsubsoilquality. 5.2.3.1 SoilsQuality ThepredominantsoiltypesintheSouthernRegionareacid/basicdeepwelldrainedmineralsoils, particularlyinCountyCork,whilepoorlydrainedmineralsoils,shallowlithosolicpodzolictypesand peatsaremorecommonalongthewesternAtlanticmarginsoftheregion(Kerry,Clare,westCork andalsoKilkenny).Screesedimentsarealsocommonintheregion,reflectingthepresenceofhills and mountain belts such as the Blackstairs (Teagasc, EPA, Forest Service and GSI Soil Mapping, 2006). AnevaluationofsoilswascarriedoutaspartoftheNationalSoilSurveyofIreland(nowknownas Teagasc)foranumberofcountiesinIrelandoveraperiodofanumberofyears.Severalofthese surveyswerecarriedoutincountieswithintheSouthernRegion,theresultsofwhichareprovidedin Table510.Soilsuitabilityclassificationessentiallyconsistsofoutliningtherangeofusestowhicha givensoilisadaptable,includingdeterminingtheproductionpotentialofeachsoilforthenormal rangeoffarmorforestcrops.Thisclassificationprovidestheessentiallinkbetweenthephysicaland economicaspectsofthepotentialuseofsoils. [MDR0998RP0012_F01] 49 [SouthernRegion] Table510–ClassAandClassBSoilsMappingintheSouthernRegion County ClassA* ClassB** Carlow 63%(56,489ha) 4%(3,588ha) Clare 25%(78,756ha) 4%(10,992ha) Limerick 35%(228,803ha) 5%(33,460ha) NorthTipperary 47%(93,769ha) 14%(14,681ha) Waterford 40%(74,241ha) 16%(29,690ha) WestCork 33%(60,220ha) 11%(19,251ha) Wexford 54%(127,150ha) 6%(14,605ha) *ClassA:welladaptedtonewtechniquesandismainlysuitableforcultivatedcrops,pastureorforestry. **ClassB:suitabilityhavingmorelimiteduserangethanthoseinClassAandbeinggenerallyofonlymoderatesuitabilityforcultivated crops,pastureandforestry Inaddition,TeagascandtheEPAhaverecentlylaunchedthisyearanIrishSoilInformationSystem whichprovidesspatialandquantitativeinformationonsoiltypesacrossIreland.Thekeyoutputof the Soil Information System is a soil map that displays the soil associations. This soil information systemleadsonfromexistingdatasetsthathavebeendevelopedbybodiessuchasTeagasc,EPA andtheGSI. 5.2.3.2 WasteDisposal Thereare22licensedlandfillsintheSouthernRegion,consistingof1activemunicipalsolidwaste landfilland21closedlandfillsandtheseareshowninFigure59inSection5.2.6. ThereisnospecificlegislationaddressingcontaminatedlandinIreland.Theprincipleissuesrelevant towastemanagementincludehistoricunregulatedwastedisposalsites,illegallandfillsandclosed landfills. In April 2007, the EPA published a Code of Practice that provided a framework for the identificationofcontaminatedsites,theassessmentofthepotentialrisksassociatedwiththemand theidentificationoftheappropriateremedialmeasuresorcorrectiveactionsrequiredtominimise risktotheenvironmentandhumanhealth.FollowingthepublicationoftheCode,theEPAtrained localauthoritystaffonitsuseandapplication.LocalauthoritiesarenowimplementingtheCodeand theEPAisoverseeingitsimplementation;however,alistofcontaminatedsiteswithintheSouthern Region is not centrally compiled. Subsequent to the 2007 Code of Practice, the EPA in 2013 publishedGuidanceontheManagementofContaminatedLandandGroundwateratEPALicensed Sites. Therearefourprinciplecategoriesofhistoricwastedisposalsitesconsideredhere:illegalsites;local authoritysites;pre1977sites;andprivatesites.ThesesitesarevariouslycoveredunderSection22 oftheWasteManagementAct1996andtheHistoricLandfillRegulations2008.Section22ofthe WMAhasawiderscopethantheHistoricLandfillRegulationsinthatitincludesallwastedisposalor recoverysites,whereastheHistoricLandfillRegulationsonlyincludesclosedmunicipallandfillsthat operatedbetween1977and1997.TheSection22Registercontains“closedlandfills”asdefinedby theHistoricLandfillRegulationsandalsorecordsinformationonlandfillsthatfalloutsidethescope oftheregulations,i.e.legacylandfills, pre1977sites;andprivatelandfills (landfillsthatoperated after1980underalocalauthoritypermit).ThefiguresforthesesitesnationallyareshowninTable [MDR0998RP0012_F01] 50 [SouthernRegion] 511alongwithclassificationbyrisk.InformationfortheSouthernRegionispresentedinFigure 512andshowninFigure56inrelationtogroundwatervulnerability. Table511–NationalFiguresforHistoricWasteDisposal TotalNational TotalNo.Sites HighRisk MediumRisk LowRisk IllegalSites 39 2 7 14 LocalAuthority 285 56 103 124 Sites Pre1977Sites 62 2 3 35 PrivateSites 99 8 7 27 Allsites 485 68 120 200 SourceEPA2014 Table512–HistoricWasteDisposalintheSouthernRegion Total(Southern) TotalNo.Sites HighRisk MediumRisk LowRisk IllegalSites 8 0 2 2 LocalAuthority 130 30 48 51 Sites Pre1977Sites 22 1 0 17 PrivateSites 35 2 0 8 Allsites 195 33 50 78 SourceEPA2014 5.2.3.3 QuarriesandMines Therearecurrentlythreeactivemines(VedantaLisheenMiningLimited,GalmoyMinesLimitedand RoadstoneWoodLimited)and49historicminingsitesintheSouthernRegion.Table513provides detailsofthehistoricminesintheareaandthetypeofcommercialmaterialwhichwasextracted fromthem.Manyofthesehistoricalsiteshaveassociatedwastefeaturessuchasspoilheapsand features associated with mine drainage which pose risk to the soil and water (surface and groundwater)environment. Table513–DetailsofHistoricMinesintheSouthernRegion Location SiteName MaterialMined Allihies Keeloge,Coom,Dooneen,MountainMine,Caminches,CaminchesStamps Cu(S) Bunmahon BunmahonDistrict,Knockmahon,Tankardstown,StageCove Cu(S) Caim Caim Pb(ZnBaAg) ClareLead Ballyhickey,Ballyvergin,Kilbricken Pb(ZnBaAg) Clare Doolin Phosphate Phosphate [MDR0998RP0012_F01] 51 [SouthernRegion] Location SiteName MaterialMined Gortdrum Gortdrum CuAgHg KillaloeSlate KillaloeSlate Slate Leinster Deerpark,28Acres,Clogh Coal Coalfield Munster MunsterCoalfield Coal Coalfield RossIsland RossIsland Cu(S) Silvermines Ballygown,Magcobar,Shallee,Gorteenadiha,Garryard,Gortmore Pb(ZnBaAg) Slieve Lickfinn,Ballynunty,Mardyke,Gorteen,Foilacamin(x2),Ballingarry, Ardagh Coal Coalfields Coalbrook,Earlshill,Ballyphillip,Commons,Boulea Tipperary Hollyford Cu(S) Minors WestCork Ballycummisk,Coosheen,Lady'sWell,BrowHead,Glandore,Crookhaven, Cu,Ba CuBa MizenHead,Letter DataSource:EPAHistoricMinesProject. In addition to largescale mining activities, there are 2,711 mineral locations in the region as recordedbytheGeologicalSurveyofIreland.Theselocationsdonotrepresentminingactivitiesbut ratherarelocationsofpossiblycommercialmineraldepositsaswellasothermineralandgeological featuresofinterest.Therearecurrently142activequarriesandpitsintheSouthernRegion. 5.2.3.4 GeologyandHydrogeology Thebedrockgeologyintheregionisdominatedbymarinecalcareousrocks,continentalsandsand metasedimentsandvariousvolcanicintrusions.Theoldestrocksintheregionaregenerallyinthe southeastofWexford,comprisedofPrecambrianquartzitesandgneissesaswellasCambrianand Ordovician metasediments and volcanics, including the large Leinster Granite province. Smaller patchesofSilurianmetasedimentsandvolcanicsoccurgenerallyinthemidtonorthernpartofthe region.MuchofthebedrockinthesouthernpartoftheregionincludingmostofKerry,Corkand WaterfordisgenerallycomprisedofDevoniancontinentaltyperockssuchastheOldRedSandstone. MuchofKilkenny,TipperaryandLimerickiscomprisedofyoungerstillCarboniferouslimestonesand shales. The youngest bedrock in the region is also to be found in the southeast of Wexford, comprisingPermiantoTriassicagemudstonesandgypsum. In general the dominant aquifer type is locally important bedrock aquifer, followed by regionally important bedrock aquifer generally occurring in the middle of the region. Poor aquifers are generally found in the eastern part of the region around Wexford, Kilkenny, and also in North TipperaryandthewesterncoastalportionsofCorkandKerry.Gravelaquifersaremuchsmallerin numberandextent,coveringonlyabout1,221km2nationally.ThegravelaquifersintheSouthern Regionareclassifiedaslocallyandregionallyimportant. GroundwaterisamajornaturalresourceintheRepublicofIrelandandprovidesapproximately20 25% of the drinking water supplies for the entire country. The Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) classifies the groundwater